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I have been quite busy tasting stuff recently. Lots of good wines too, but here’s the trick, here’s one that I really wanted to drink. So I did. It’s a drinking wine. A wine for drinking. Easy to lose sight of this sometimes. And while I have you I’d suggest that both 2006 and 2004 are (generally) looking like better red vintages in both the Barossa and McLaren Vale than 2005.

It’s all black fruits, warm earth, dark chocolate and brazil nut with just a little floral lift. On the palate full bodied with a mix of red and black fruits, some earthiness and again dark chocolate with nuts. Smooth but still chewy and satisfying with fine grained tannins and lovely balance throughout. Rich but not heavy or Porty. Long dark chocolate and nut finish. Beautifully done. An irresistible wine.

Other vintages: 2005, 2004

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This is thought to be the first commercial release of Carmenère in Australia with a production of 150 dozen. It tastes like Carmenère too although better than some of the Chilean examples I have had recently - a little cleaner and fruitier. I also admired the bottle for an unusually long time too. Very nice packaging.

A typical mix of dried herb, spice, ash and volcanic rocks with bright red fruit and some vanilla oak. On the palate medium bodied with fresh red cherry, spiced red jelly, dried herb and subtle oak in support. It has fine light dry tannins, clean acidity and feels nice and airy in the mouth. Good juicy finish. No heat or heaviness. I think this is a really good drink.

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Better than the 2005 I think.

Very fragrant offering a mix of sweet small berries, pepper, grilled meat and an aniseed perfume. On the palate medium bodied and a little more serious than first impressions suggest. It’s meaty, spicy and peppery with tangy red berries, stalks and a little dollop of vanilla oak. Dry and lightly grippy tannins coupled with sappy acid give this real vigour and energy in the mouth. Finishes dry and long with a redcurrant and dried herb aftertaste. How do they do it at the price?

Other vintages : 2005

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I was tasting this alongside a Shiraz Viognier and thought ’stuff me if this does not have a bit of Viognier in it too’ ..and so it does. I looked it up. Only three percent mind you..but that’s enough to swing an election (and don’t try saying that if you have a lisp).

Ripe juicy and sweet berries, licorice, pepper, spice, vanilla and some BBQ meat. A heady mix of sweet and spicy. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of cherry jam, berries, pepper and a little stalkiness to straighten things out. It has a slippery glycerine texture with fine powdery tannins that move along real nice and easy. Closes with a sweet cherry and dried herb aftertaste and a little dustpan of tannins to clean up the finish. Pretty delicious and pretty good value too.

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I like Australian Grenache a fair bit and sometimes prefer it to Shiraz. This style of wine makes for a very jolly BBQ drink in my opinion. Goes well with a sausage sandwich (slice of white bread folded in half enfolding slightly burnt sausage squirted with sauce - BBQ, HP, Chilli or Tomato - I am not fussy) which is one of my very favourite foods.

A bit cosmetic but offers juicy red fruit, red licorice, pepper and a floral lift. On the palate medium bodied with sweet red fruit and more meaty peppery flavours. It has good shape courtesy of light dry raspy tannins and clean acidity. Finishes with a bit of grip and a red fruit and dried herb aftertaste. Good quaffing with a bit of character.

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I’d normally let this one go through to the keeper but think I’ll try knocking out a note in record time.

Colour looks a bit developed. Smells of ripe red fruits, raw meat, some licorice and earth. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of sweet red fruits, earth and a little spice. It has light but dry tannin and some slightly intrusive spirity alcohol. Finishes up a little metallic but fairly fresh. A nice enough drink but based on this bottle probably not one of the best vintages of Custodian.

Other vintages : 2004, 2004

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It’s an interesting and unexpected trend this sudden rush of Moscato style wine. Everyone seems to be getting in on the act and putting one out. Naturally some are better than others and I particularly like this one. Really pretty bottle too…one of those things that make you go..oooohhhh.

Smells peachy and grapey with a very attractive fresh kaffir lime leaf top note. On the palate sweet and spritzy with flavours similar to stuffing your mouth full of ice cold sultana grapes drizzled with a squirt of lemon juice. It has a refreshing acidity providing vital cut and a clean but sticky ending. It’s tart fuel all right but can be enjoyed equally by tarts of both sexes…. at any time of day. How do you logically rate such wines? I don’t know, I just give the ones I like a 90!

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Now then, I have tasted this thrice now, the first blind in amongst a raft of 2005 Huntervas, the second from a whole bottle and the last benchmarking it against the previous vintage (also under screwcap which is 2004 if you can’t subtract) with both of the bottle tastings looking better the next day. A sub twenty dollar (often sub $15) wine that requires decanting or cellaring? Well well. This is a very rich chocolatey wine by Hunter standards, as much like Barossa as anything else, but is still medium weight and I suspect that more regional character will emerge with careful cellaring. Best of all is no longer having to play that tense and scary game of ‘Mount Pleasant roulette’ with your case load of twelve (licorice) bullets; the screwcap ensuring a long and untroubled life.

Rich and tarry with blackberry, licorice and chocolate dominating, a little black pepper and some brighter raspberry fruit peering up through the darkness. On the palate medium to full bodied with blackberry and raspberry, licorice and earthy leathery flavours. It is dry (almost porty) and savoury with fairly strong but appropriate tannin and a good dry finish. It freshened, brightened and sweetened up after being left for a day and I’d really suggest leaving this alone for a couple of years yet at which stage I suspect it could rate a little higher. Certainly I think there is a bit of X-Factor at play here. A big wine by Hunter standards but it’s authentic and honest and I chose to drink it over several (some considerably) more expensive bottles I had open at the time.

Other vintages reviewed : 2004,2003, 2002, 2000

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I’m looking at (and for) some of the better quality wine to be had at around (or under) twenty dollars at the moment. Of course, De Bortoli has been delivering more bang per buck (or less if you consider that sometimes less is more..) than just about any other winery via its Windy Peak and Gulf Station labels.

Attractive and approachable displaying bold melon and peach fruit with a little cream and spice in support. On the palate a mix of fruits including melon, pear and peach backed with subtle spicy oak. Clean, fresh and well balanced with soft acidity and a good crisp finish. A good wine that offers both refreshment and excellent value.

Other vintages : 2005, 2005

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Here is a beautiful wine that will appeal to the chardonnay drinker looking for a bit of richness and depth. It’s a bit ‘old school’ but Mornington delivers this style perhaps better than any other area in Australia?

Rich in both colour and smell with nectarine, lemon butter, peach, yeast and some smoky barrel ferment characters. On the palate medium bodied but intense and powerful with nectarine and citrus fruits on a creamy texture that is shot through with bright clean acidity and a touch of flintiness. Excellent length of flavour. Worked yes, but very tastefully done. This delivers a big and balanced mouthful of chardonnay flavour at a very modest price. Really impressive.

Other vintages: 2004, 2005

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So much Sauvignon Blanc, so little time. The upside is that it’s pretty quick and easy to taste.

Punchy aromatics of spice, passionfruit, honeydew melon rind and tomato plant. On the palate fresh, clean and clear with juicy mouthwatering flavours of passionfruit, melon and gooseberry and a measure of varietal capsicum spice. A little soft on the back palate but never mind; it’s so refreshing and easy to drink that you are already on the next mouthful anyway. A wine for carefree enjoyment and picnics by the sea…

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Ah the Heathcote shiraz paradox. I never think I’ll like them, yet I always seem to enjoy them immensely. This wine could polarise tasters on stylistic preference, I think, but not in terms of absolute quality.

A big black lake of aromas. Surely a monster must lurk beneath? Sniff the surface and you get sweet black cherry, plum, chocolate coated licorice and spice. Throw in a pebble and ripples of eucalypt, burnt lamb chops and pepper appear. Careful now. No need to rush. An exploratory sip reveals deep dark fruits, dark chocolate, earth, eucalpyt and peppery flavours sitting comfortably in well polished oak. Chunky and satisfying with grainy open knit tannins, a little warmth and a good spicy black fruited finish. I’m good with this and ready for a big glass. It’s a robust muscular wine but nothing to be scared of. Large scale, well balanced, excellent value and not least a very satisfying drink.

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I’m a bit unsure of this wine at the moment. It might get better with time, certainly it will improve in the short term, not sure how it will go longer term.

Quite subdued with aromas of pear and melon, plenty of spicy vanilla nougat oak and some funky wildness and matchstick. On the palate medium bodied with a mix of pear, white peach and melon, a little creamy oatmeal and plenty of vanilla oak. It has subtle fruit squashed up against some hard oak at the moment - which should settle with bottle age. Soft acidity, a lightly creamy slippery texture and a little warm alcohol with a sweet oak finish. Too much building on not enough land at the moment but it could well be that I need to step back and view it from a distance.

Other vintages: 2005

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My first experience with old Hunter semillons on a recent visit to the Hunter was supplied by our friends Janice and Brent with assistance from Abby. This was delicious. The nose has that toasty peachy aroma that is quite enticing. The palate is crisp, toasty with a bit of peach, a little nuttiness and maybe a hint of mushroom. The palate is very long and went really well with barramundi. The bonus is in the alcohol level. We also tried the 1986 and although good it was not in the same league as this. I visited the winery the next day and after having read Wine Hunter by Campbell Mattinson the visit gave me a real buzz, an experience I can recommend and a wine that was a real privilege.

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I grabbed this just before going out to dinner, not knowing where we were eating, but on the premise that Rioja is one of the most versatile of red wines. We ended up at a local Thai place which could have been a wine match disaster (not that I care overly about these things) but was not. It went perfectly with my lightly spiced grilled lamb chops and not too shabbily with some BBQ Octopus either. It is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Graciano from the Rioja Baja D.O.

Sweet cherry and red fruits (slightly jammy) and smoky beef pepper jerky. On the palate medium bodied with juicy red fruits, some meaty savoury flavours and a bit of pepper and spice. It has gritty gravelly tannins and balanced acid providing ample structure and backbone and a nice juicy spicy finish of good length. Dangerously easy to drink. A wine of integrity and real character that also hits the fun bullseye bang on.

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This is an aged release from Meerea Park’s museum stock (which is kept in a climate controlled warehouse) and has been re-labelled as such. The fruit for this vintage was hand picked and comes off the famous Tallawanta vineyard. If you happen to purchase this wine, or indeed have one of the original release in the cellar, then make sure you stand it upright for a couple of days because it is throwing more crust than an angry toddler…

Good clear garnet colour with typical Hunter aromas of red and black berries, licorice, sweet leather, cedar with just a little mintiness. On the palate medium bodied with a mix of berry fruit, leather, licorice and cedar oak all intermingling nicely. It has some chocolate characters too but the impression is largely of fresh berry fruit with some tertiary bottle aged characters coming through. Well structured with firm fine tannin, distinctly fresh clean acidity and good length of flavour closing with a sweet berry and leather aftertaste. At the moment I think this is still too young to drink, it needs (at least) another five or six years to show its Huntery best and will keep going on from there.

Other vintages : 2005, 2005, 2004, 2004, 2003

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I really liked the 2001 vintage of this wine so when I read a recent (glowing) 2005 vintage Decanter Mag Northern Rhone tasting I decided to grab a few bottles. Trouble was the importer I remembered (Vintage and Vine) no longer brings it in, so with a little help from my friends (in retail) we established that Randalls (Heart & Soil) is now the new (or sole) importer, and they promptly sorted me out with a bit of excellent service. Oh and FYI there’s no “Granit 60″ left (in 750ml) but there are a couple of magnums still available.

A distinctly bright and lurid imperial Roman purple colour (perhaps indicating a low Ph) then aromas of smoke, pepper and minerals over dark berries with an aniseed lift. It smells pretty and fresh. On the palate medium bodied with a distinctly fresh acid cut and plenty of fine dry (but ripe) tannin. A little sappy and edgy. It has flavours of berries, pepper, meat and mineral and very good length of flavour. Over the course of a couple of days all the pieces really started to fall into place, and like Nostradamus hunched over a fragrant peppery broth, I think I can predict the future for this wine. And unlike that gloomy old bastard I can tell you (and in less than four lines, preferring to simply signify with the sign of the +) that things are going to be very rosy indeed. A fine vintage, a good Cornas, all will be well.

Other vintages : 2004

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Trust ace winemaker Sandro Mosele to turn out such a sophisticated Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a bit Euro and a bit of all right (two words as JP points out).

Light in colour and light in aroma with fresh pineapple, gooseberry, dried herb, a touch of cream and a bit of flinty funk. On the palate again fresh, light and pretty with flavours of gooseberry, passionfruit, mineral and a sprinkle of dried herbs. Clean and delicate with a long crisp finish. A wine of subtlety and refinement. It’s also a great food style.

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I really like this wine and I could pretty much re-use the same tasting note every year. It is consistent and consistently good, the secret being in the multi-regional blending to create a (steak) ‘house’ style. This year it’s King Valley 34%, Strathbogie Ranges 15% , Padthaway 13%, Barossa Valley 11%, Goulburn Valley 11% , McLaren Vale 11% and the mysterious region known as ‘Other’ making up the final 5%.

Nice and rich with a mix of black and red berries, chocolate, a touch of mint and light vanilla oak. On the palate medium to full bodied with smooth flavours of dark berries, chocolate and attractive vanilla oak. It feels good in the mouth with some appropriate food friendly chalky tannin and a little warmth from alcohol. Cleansing tannin on exit. A very good drink - simple yet satisfying.

Other vintages: 2005

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This comes from the Faugeres A.C. and is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre with a little Carignan. Enquiries for trade and stockists can be directed to marcus@cesoirwine.com who, it must be said, is doing a sterling job bringing such interesting wines into the country.

Sweet wild herb and lavender fragrance wafting over cherries, raspberries, ash and licorice. It’s a most particular and evocative smelling wine. On the palate medium bodied with cherry, sour raspberry, thyme and mineral flavours with very attractive clean clear acidity and fine dry lightly raspy tannins. Really fresh and exuberant. Finishes with a red fruit and dried herb aftertaste. A super wine that offers up a little holiday in a bottle.

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