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I have only had one other wine from this producer so others might enlighten me on how they age? Certainly this looks like a wine made to last and appears to have a high proportion of whole bunch and prolonged skin contact. Oh and I checked in the mirror this morning, and no, I have not turned into Lincoln…

Dark in colour with a beautifully perfumed nose of rich raspberry and sweet dark cherry and a whole swag of other interesting things such as smoke, peat moss and iodine (like Talisker), rose petal and vanilla, bark and spices. A wonderful wine to smell. On the palate medium to full bodied and full flavoured with dark cherry and raspberry fruit, earthy peaty flavours, vanilla spice and some stalks. It has quite phenomenal extract with mouth gripping black tea tannin and a touch of bitterness on exit. The tannins settled down somewhat on the second day of tasting but still dominated the (excellent) fruit. Absolutely not for drinking now although I am betting it will come good.

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I was looking for something different to drink the other day and found a 6 pack of this wine. I then did a quick search to see what to expect (and whether I should perhaps hold off opening a bottle) and didn’t find anything - we have either been slack in not reviewing it, or I didn’t do the search properly. So I’ve now consumed 3 bottles from the case, and all with consistent results. A light to medium bodied wine, with aromas of raspberry and red cherry fruits, and a bit of tar and earth. The palate showed red cherries, liquorice, some blueberries, a bit of earthy complexity and also a bit of acid poking through. A very pleasant drink no doubts, with lovely supple tannins and a lovely cleansing finish, but to my palate the fruit is dropping off a bit and though I would drink it sooner rather than later, your mileage might differ.

Other vintages : 2006, 2006, 2005, 2005, 2004

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Gary has already reviewed this, as you can see by following the ‘Other Vintages’ link below. Sometimes I wonder at the value of multiple reviews of the same wine, though GW assures me it is always good to do a palate calibration every now and then. Anyways, on to the wine. I do vaguely remember from the press release that there have been efforts by the De Bortoli winemaking team to get less sunshine in the Chardonnay. I think this is an admirable aim, because I would reckon it would make a wine with more structure and less of the blousey overblown tropical fruit characters. In this regard, there has been success, because the wine showed mainly nectarine and citrus fruits, with a bit of cream, vanilla and gunsmoke, and only a hint of peaches and melon. The palate also showed the nectarine characters, but with a lemon/orange sherbet liveliness, displaying a beautiful fruit purity, savoury without any mealy or minerally characteristics, and admirable length. A lovely wine; drink over the next few years.

Other vintages : 2006, 2005

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Writing tasting notes with a baby strapped to my front is a new and interesting experience and occasionally it can feel like having a backpack full of explosives instead… At the moment I am composing this work standing up at the computer, Kraftwerk style. Now I just need to nip into the bathroom, slip on a red shirt, apply some Brylcreem and fix my hair with a severe side parting to complete the picture..

High toned raspberry, cherry, earth and spice aromatics lead into a light to medium bodied palate with flavours of raspberry, cherry, mineral and undergrowth with subtle oak. Ripe but not fruity with light firm tannins and fairly strong backbone of clean fresh acidity. Good clean finish of fair length. A youthful wine of some delicacy and restraint that should blossom with bottle age. I’m pleased to have a few to pop away in the cellar.

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I don’t get round to drinking (or tasting) much Clare Valley red one way or another. Not sure why.

Jumps out of the glass with cassis, blackberry, raspberry, liquorice allsorts, mint and some spicy toasty oak. Beautiful smelling wine. On the palate full bodied and intense with flavours of raspberry coulis, cassis, blackberry, mint and licorice. Really good vibrant fruit with some leather/bitter chocolate characters adding interest and spicy toasty vanilla oak in support. It has fine grained tannin, a nice fresh mouthfeel and some warmth from alcohol that’s a bit intrusive but not over-bearing. Finishes with spice and liquorice flavours. Packs a magnum of flavour into 750ml without looking clumsy.

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Are New World wines becoming more Old World or are those of the Old World becoming more like the New? I think the answer may be, much like David Bowie, that it goes both ways…

Golden in colour with a open floral come-hither nose of peach, melon rind, honey nougat and mineral with quite a bit of spicy oak showing. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of melon, peach, citrus, hazelnut and spice. It is full flavoured and has a creamy texture but with dry flinty characters to tighten things up and plenty of fresh acidity. There is a slight warmth too but nothing intrusive. Good length of flavour finishing dry and flinty. Highly enjoyable. It reminds me of Leeuwin Art Series a fair bit.

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Righto then, time for a bit of content. I tasted this on the old Enomatic at North Sydney Cellars and liked it enough to purchase a bottle for further investigation. It is a dangerous machine that one….

At this juvenille stage of its life it smells much like a banana split topped with whipped cream and custard but peeking underneath you can see more adult flavours of peach, lemon, oatmeal and a little spice from oak. On the medium bodied palate plenty of flavour with green banana, whipped cream, peach, mineral and more savoury yeasty flavours. It has beautiful refreshing bell clear acidity threaded through a rich creamy texture and drinks well from start to finish. Excellent wine with a bright future.

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You don’t hear much about the other members of the Hoddles Creek family; it’s the Burgundy sisters that get all the attention. The quieter members are Merlot (self confidence problems), Pinot Gris (obnoxious, boring, alcoholic, takes perverse pleasure in getting into the best restaurants..), Sauvignon Blanc (weedy and simple with a slight BO problem yet strangely popular) and Cabernet Sauvignon (muscular, sophisticated, intellectual and serious).

Aromas of blackcurrant, dark chocolate, violet, dried herbs and light dusty oak. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of blackcurrant, cherry, black olive and dried herb. Fairly dense with good intensity and firm acid and tannin providing pleasing shape and structure. It’s on the olive and herb side of the cabernet spectrum but still good and ripe for my tastes. A bargain at under twenty dollars too.

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This is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc from the outstanding 2005 vintage (which for some reason I decided to skip buying on indent..cutting off my nose to spite my face no doubt). Enquiries to marcus@cesoirwine.com

Nice and rich with cassis, cherry and currant fruit, licorice, camphor and some floral notes. Beautiful aromatics. On the palate medium bodied with cassis, cherry, mineral and black olive flavours backed with subtle mocha oak. Ripe but just staying this side of being over. It has smooth tannins, good extract and fresh balanced acidity. Nice and light in the mouth with good length of flavour. This is a great success. A thoroughly delicious wine.

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A pale yellow in colour, but with a youthful green tint. The nose shows juicy fruit aromas, lemons and limes, with a hint of spice in the background. The palate is, in an executive summary kind of way, lemony slate with lots of acid and some grapefruit pith dryness on the finish. This is a pup, quite unevolved with pretty good length, but it does seem to lack a bit of weight through the mid-palate. Now though this is their cheaper Semillon offering, older vintages tasted recently do attest to the ageing ability of the marque. Needs food and/or time, probably both.

Other vintages: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2002, 2002

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I have a few bottles of the 2001 Mangan floating about in the cellar somewhere. I tasted one on release and found it to be a formidable wine. Dense and tannic. I must grab one soon and see what is happening. Anyway, previous vintages have been Malbec dominant but the 2006 is a little more approachable due to a higher Merlot component (50%) with the remainder being made up by Petit Verdot (36%) and Malbec (14%). This is a great result for such a difficult red vintage.

Aromas of dark fruit, chocolate, meat and violet with a touch of mint. On the palate medium to full bodied with plum and sweet cassis fruit, dark chocolate, violet, dried herb and meaty flavours. Pretty dense and compact but not heavy at all. It has ripe powdery mouth coating tannins and good freshness with a clean long finish. An excellent wine that is full of interest. It almost tastes intelligent (yet sadly had no osmotic effect on this particular taster) and looked great over a couple of days.

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For almost a decade now Hewitson has worked with a very small vineyard of Tempranillo at Basham’s Beach, located 30km south of McLaren Vale at the southern end of the Mount Lofty Ranges within the Adelaide Super Zone. Situated on the edge of the Fleurieu Peninsula with its strong maritime influence, the Basham’s Beach vineyard has ideal climate and soils for growing this variety. Yet, to make a great wine takes time and persistence and so it was that 2006 provided us with the conditions to do just that.

I’d debate that Tempranillo generally likes a maritime climate as it seems to do best in Rioja and Ribera del Duero which, to the best of my knowledge, are both continental and fairly high altitude. No matter though, because the proof is in the pudding, and this particular pudding is outstanding. I also might add that I really like the quirky retro label that (to my mind at least) respectfully does a tip of the hat to the great Australian wines of yore.

This offers up a deep pool of lush berry fruit, licorice, chocolate, spice and tobacco that is so seductive you can’t but help but find yourself slipping under. On the palate full bodied with saturating sweet dark berry, cherry, chocolate, cola, dried herb and licorice flavours and superb mid-palate richness with an ample spread of plush velveteen tannins and a smooth creamy texture. Very long and satisfying. It’s a spectacular wine and almost irresistible. I miss it already.

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A confluence of events led me to open this wine. Namely (1) it is hot and muggy tonight and (2) I am cooking a curry for dinner. Therefore (1) and (2) = Rosé.

It smells like Pinot with cherry, strawberry and rose petal and has faint earth and licorice aromas adding complexity. On the palate light but flavoursome with delicate fresh strawberry and cherry fruit, undergrowth and licorice root flavours. It has lovely vibrant natural acidity and tastes pretty much dry. Balanced, delicious and does all the things a good Rosé should do.

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This is such a splendid, complex and rich style that I feel the need to relate some winemaking detail. Hand picked, whole bunch pressed, French oak (mainly barrique but also 10% in puncheon) with one third new. On lees for 11 months with 20% undergoing malolactic fermentation. I think it is to be released early next year.

Opulent yet ultra-stylish it offers up aromas of grapefruit, white peach, nectarine, spice, grilled nuts and a touch of smokiness. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of white peach, grapefruit, nuts and spicy oak. Beautiful weight and texture; it feels dry and chalky, slippery and creamy all at once and has fine clean acidity to balance. It flows effortlessly from front to back and finishes with outstanding length of flavour. Magnificent. One of my chardonnay highlights of this year.

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I tasted this alongside the 2005 Tarrawarra Estate Reserve Chardonnay ($50) because they were both in the fridge at the same time (which seemed a good enough reason really). Pretty tough competition, but the modestly priced plucky little Pierre did pretty well, all things considered.

Aromas of citrus, white peach, almond meal and struck flint. A fresh Chablis style. On the palate light to medium bodied with white peach, citrus, lemon rind and oatmeal flavours. It has penetrating acidity (arguably too bright) and a slight creaminess but pulls through flinty and dry on the finish with adequate length. Drinks well and delivers a lovely fresh (and refreshing) style with a bit of sophistication. I’d drink this and be pretty happy.

Other vintages: 2005

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I have always had a soft spot for this wine because one of my best friend’s (surprisingly I have more than one) dad always used to crack a bottle on special occasions. This was when I was about 18 or so..sometime around the time of the bicentennial when Rick Astley and George Michael ruled the airwaves…and I was a bit of a brut myself.

Pale colour with delicate aromas of lemon, biscuit, tart crab apple and woody spices. On the palate light and crisp with a touch of creaminess and flavours of lemon, apple and a little spice. Foamy texture with acidity that bites a bit too hard. Finishes with lemon and yeast flavours. Fair enough .

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I know I used this cartoon last year and the year before last..but we still have a lot of new readers and well..really I just like the cartoon a lot. So much so that it has become a Winorama tradition. Anyway, a big thanks to all for reading and supporting the site and here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from The Renowned Winorama team.

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I had some interesting wines at dinner last night including a ‘94 Reynella Basket Pressed Merlot (very good, bit of minty oak poking out but great fruit) and a ‘90 Leo Buring DR150 Cabernet Sauvignon (complex old cabernet nose, well structured and just fantastic really) but before that, whilst juggling a baby in one hand and scribbling notes with the other, a quick cooling glass of this beauty. In the interests of being thorough I also had a quick re-taste after dinner just to make sure….

Aromatic and spicy with grapefruit, custard apple, flowers and vanilla. On the palate juicy and soft with crunchy green apple, spice, citrus and some minerally flavours. Balanced clean acidity and good flavour make this highly enjoyable now. Another top wine from a winery that’s currently in top form.

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All this shiraz drinking of late put me in a right old mood. A mood for Cabernet. And the best Australian cabernet is Margaret. Arguably anyway..although I don’t really want an argument.

Rich and floral but also slightly curranty with cassis, chocolate, eucalypt, wet earth and vanilla oak. On the palate full bodied with cassis, chocolate, black olive and eucalypt flavours backed with perfumed vanilla oak. Rich but quite dry. It has firm gravelly tannins and plenty of flavour and impact in the mouth. It freshened up and looked better after being open for a day too. Big, bold and beautiful.

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Higher Plane is now owned by Juniper Estate and is also sporting new labels.

Really fragrant in that typical Southern Margaret River way with gravelly wet earth covered in eucalyptus leaves, sweet cherry and red berries, tea leaves and subtle vanilla cedar oak. On the palate medium bodied and fairly light and delicate with cherry and berry fruit, leaf, cedar and vanilla oak. Fresh and lithe with clean acidity and firm slightly squeeky tannins. Finishes with gravelly red fruited flavours. Very refreshing and stylish. Lovely wine.

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