The Home of Renowned Tasting

Just look at all those medals! All the gold you can eat. Eric Brand would certainly have to be “The Patron” of bottle bling.

It’s scented, ripe and intensely blackcurranty with additional cooler flavours of aniseed, flickers of leaf and mint and a good measure of aromatic vanilla and cedar wood oak that’s bedding down nicely. Medium to full bodied and packed with sweet fruit but has some attractive tobacco and leaf flavour adding a little Cabernet strictness to the mix. It has firm fine grained tannins, freshness and clarity and finishes pure and long. Delicious wine, approachable now, but probably much better later. Textbook Coonawarra Cabernet.

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It’s old school but good. Two tastings now with both bottles having slightly dodgy leaking corks, although the contents were sound.

A traditional Coonawarra with red fruits, fresh mint, root beer, earth and attractive cedar/vanilla oak. On the palate medium bodied with good freshness, dry tannin and flavours of red berry, aniseed, a bit of earthiness and vanilla oak. It’s attributes are charm, refreshment and excellent length flavour with a bit of cleansing grippy tannin on exit. It’s understated, honest and offers very good drinking.

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Two tastings of this now (April and June) with consistent results, the screwcap performing exactly as expected, and to my mind a much better closure for these wines than the shonky little corks they use in the Estate Cabernet and Shiraz. It’s a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc with the remainder being Malbec and is due for release 1 July. I tasted this bottle over a couple of days and it looked better on the second.

It’s quite refined and subdued with blackcurrant and red fruits, chocolate, tobacco, menthol and a touch of green bean - falling more to savoury than fruit sweet. On the palate medium bodied with a mix of red and black berries, chocolate, tobacco and some greener leafy flavours. It has good fresh acid and fine lightly chalky tannin but feels a little compressed and blocky on the palate. Still, it’s not without savoury charm, drinkability and a touch of sophistication.

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Jules (who is actually male most of the time) popped this into my box when I was picking up a few bottles of a certain wine that is not supposed to be sold retail, but is supplied to some retailers, but only if you don’t promote it or talk about it too much - let’s call it 06 Fight Club Cabernet Shiraz. Anyway, that’s not important right now (TNIRN) as we are talking about the Reschke Bull Trader, which Jules likes and I also like, after having tasted it. It’s a refreshing wine, and while it’s on the line when it comes to herbal characters, I’m pretty happy to call it in. I’d happily serve it any dinner time.

Attractive smelling wine with blackberry, chocolate, a cedar wood perfume, spice and a touch of green bean. On the palate medium bodied and fresh tasting with blackcurrant, red berry, chocolate, a bit of tomato and a menthol coolness. It’s dry, savoury and quite refined with fine tannins, refreshing acidity and good length of flavour. It’s an old school Bordeaux blend with a bit of class and naturally it complements food beautifully.

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Brands and Brands Laira are both McWilliams brands and as far as I can work out the Laira comes from the vineyard of the same name. I get a bit confused with all these Brands.

Aromas of mulberry, blackberry, aniseed, coconut and wood and some weedy (although not unpleasant) characters. On the palate medium to full bodied with good sweet crunchy blackberry and red fruit, mint and cedary oak. Quite firm tannins and a good finish. A bit strict but a pretty nice example of classically styled Coonawarra Cabernet.

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Clos Pierre has broken out of the Yarra Valley and is now offering a Coonawarra Cabernet, Pemberton Sauvignon Blanc and Barossa Shiraz.

Aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, menthol and dried herbs. Perhaps a bit baked and meaty but pretty good really. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant, dried herbs and bitter dark chocolate. Tannins are a bit hard and dry but not unpleasant and the weight is mainly on the front palate. Finishes with some meaty dark fruit flavours. A very honest wine with a bit of integrity.

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Chertsey sounds like a reflexive verb but it’s actually a proper noun being both the name of the village in which the Tolley family lived in England and that of the family house in Adelaide. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc.

Aromas of mulberry, blackcurrant, aniseed and coffee oak. On the palate medium to full bodied with a fine sense of refinement but for a little intrusive alcohol warmth. It has flavours of berry, blackcurrant, mint and some tasteful mocha oak and a little spice. The tannins are smooth and lightly drying and there is clean fresh acidity. Finishes with red fruit and a little warmth.

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This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 45% and Merlot 45% with Cabernet Franc making up the final 10%. The Rymill Cabernet from this vintage is one of my favourites. All class. So it was not without a little expectation that I opened this..

Aromas of small red berry, pepper, aniseed, tomato paste and meat juices from the pan. On the palate medium bodied with red fruit, tomato paste, pepper and herbal flavours. Firm hard tannins and high acidity. Finishes dry and with sour edged red fruit. OK but a bit of a struggle really.

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Me old mukka Grant Dodd alerted me to this wine and I am glad he did. It’s a beauty. I keep thinking I must be getting to near the end of the Coonawarra 2004 tastings but there is always something popping up..

Aromas of mulberry, cassis, mocha, bayleaf, a little menthol, vanilla and cigar box. A complex beautiful smelling wine. On the palate medium to full bodied with mulberry, plum, dark chocolate, tobacco, mineral and pencilly oak. A most attractive mix of flavours. Good weight and texture with fine grained powdery tannins. Finishes long and savoury. I am very taken with this wine. I reckon it has a bit of X factor as well as a lot of class.

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Corked. Bit of a shame really because underneath the taint it smells like a very nice wine. It’s one of those examples where it smells a bit musty but the palate is pretty well flattened out. Many would not realise this and think the wine is just OK. Not good for the brand. The cork undoes a lot of good marketing not to mention winemaking and grape growing. This sort of thing should no longer be happening in Australia in this closure enlightened age..and for a wine that retails for under $20 there are really no excuses.

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I had not realised until now that Malleea has an extra ‘e’ in it. It works really well though as those two words have a lovely symmetry when put side by side (or juxtaposed if I wanted to be clever). Just like Cabernet and Shiraz do when put in the same bottle.

Aromas of black and red berries, licorice allsorts, bayleaf, spice, menthol and plenty of cedar oak. It’s a bit earthy and inky too - certainly a lot going on here. On the palate medium to full bodied and packed with fresh berries, cassis, aniseed, spice and cedar oak. Super fine ripe tannins. It’s very smooth and has a real sense of freshness and vibrancy. Beautifully weighted and balanced with a very long aftertaste of juicy berry fruit, aniseed and cedar flavours. Super wine.

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Bugger. I just atomised a Spiegelau Bordeaux glass. It’s the third this week including a Riedel Chianti and a humble ISO. I think I must have been spiked with the infamous “Clumsy Drug”.

Aromas of blackcurrant and red fruits, aniseed, gravel, black olive and cedar oak. Fine and fragrant. On the palate medium to full bodied with blackcurrant, redcurrant, tobacco and cedar oak flavour. Very tight with super clarity and definition. It has strong gravelly but very fine tannins and brisk fresh acidity. Super long red fruit and black olive finish. The quality and pedigree (along with the screwcap closure) almost guaranteeing that this will become one of the Coonawarra greats.

Other vintages reviewed : 1993, 2003, 1999, 1994

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This not what you would normally expect of Coonawarra shiraz and I reckon some will go nuts over it. I prefer a lighter style myself (or the brilliant Cabernet sibling) but there is no denying the quality here. Release date is 1st August.

Aromas of Muscatel raisin, blackberry, vanilla, licorice, chocolate and black pepper. Big sweet and spicy. On the palate full bodied with flavours of blackberry, raisin, spice, vanilla and chocolate. Very fine dry tannins, clean acidity and some warm alcohol. Finishes with excellent length of flavour with a spicy chocolate aftertaste. It’s big and luscious but retains a fine sense of balance. Pretty impressive wine.

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Sometimes you come across wines that have you a bit stumped and this is one of them. I think that people will either love or just be a bit non-plussed with this one. One thing that’s for certain is that it looks much better after being open for a day.

Aromas of raspberry tartlet, cherry, capsicum, star anise, pepper and cedar vanilla oak. On the palate medium bodied with raspberry, cherry, blackcurrant, spice and savoury oak flavours. The weight leaning slightly towards the front palate. Pronounced pippy acidity and light fine grained but grippy tannins. Finishes with sour raspberry and spice flavours. A bit one dimensional at the moment but it may well have the potential to turn into something pretty good.

Other vintages reviewed : 2003

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I had an altercation with the bank of the same name a few years ago and vowed to have no further dealings with them. Happily though, I mainly have very fond memories of Lindemans St George.

Aromas of blackcurrant, tobacco, dark chocolate, mint and vanilla cedar oak. On the palate medium bodied and fine boned with blackcurrant, tobacco, dark chocolate and pencilly cedar oak flavours. Crisp acidity and firm slightly hard tannins. Savoury and quite austere. Finishes dry with a savoury tobacco tinged finish. Built for the cellar.

Re-tasted Sep07 : Showing some green bean character which rolled into tobacco with some air. Attractive blackcurrant fruit, a little licorice/dark chocolate and cedar oak. Fresh palate with firm tannins, very good shape on the palate. Crisp blackcurrant, tobacco and cedar oak flavours. Dry finish of good length. Most refreshing. A better bottle than the first or a better day for me!

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I do like Pyrus and have had quite a few most enjoyable bottles of older vintages recently. This one is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. I don’t know why it is called Pyrus though…or what it means. Anyone?

Aromas of blackberry, plum, capsicum, aniseed and mint backed with cedar oak. On the palate medium bodied with blackberry, blackcurrant, tobacco and mint flavours. Dry and quite savoury with fine grained firm tannins and a savoury black olive finish. A classic and very refined wine that needs cellaring time to soften up and sweeten.

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Limestone Ridge is certainly recognised as an Australian classic. An older chap walked into my office and exclaimed “Look at that! Limestone Ridge!” and was mightily impressed. So we kick off the first of the Lindemans Coonawarra trio with this 75% Shiraz and 25% Cabernet blend from the 24 hectare Limestone Ridge vineyard.

Aromas of red berry, a little licorice and pepper and vanilla coconut oak. On the palate medium bodied with sweet raspberry and plum fruit, pepper, dark chocolate and coconut oak. Fresh with fine light tannins and a cedary red fruited finish of good length. A lighter style but nicely balanced. It should age pretty well too.

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A few people have told me they just read the introductions to my notes and then skip straight to the score. Well I never. Here is a thoroughly dull introduction just to teach them a lesson….

Aromas of cherry, raspberry conserve, pepper, violet and licorice. On the palate medium to full bodied with raspberry, cherry, spice, pepper and some lightly earthy flavours. Firmish powdery tannins and balanced acidity but it feels ever so slightly blurry. Finishes with spicy red fruit conserve flavours. It will cellar but the fruit is so lovely now it seems a shame to wait.

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It is a real shame (for me anyway) that I missed tasting Balnaves ‘The Tally’ for the Coonawarra 2004 series because it is supposed to be somewhat of a benchmark for the vintage. Never mind though because the other heavy hitters keep rolling in. Here we have the big boy from Zema which is due for an August 1 release.

Aromas of cassis, raspberry, blackberry, chocolate, mint and plenty of toasty oak. Rich and deep. On the palate full bodied and flooded with cassis, blackberry, black olive, dark chocolate and spicy toasty oak. Power packed with a mass of firm ripe tannins supporting the weight of the fruit. Big but beautifully balanced. The wine pulls through the palate like a train and finishes eighteen coaches long. Brilliant Coonawarra Cabernet. Get on board.

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As dear old Lenny Kravitz sang in his better days “It ain’t over till it’s over” so here is another 2004 Coonawarra to add to our already impressive collection (with a few more still up the old sleeve). I do believe that this exemplary Coonawarra cabernet can be snaffled for under $20 and at that price I’d very strongly recommend that you put a few away in your hole. In other news this wine is still sealed with a traditional cork, and while I am happy enough to review the wine based on this tasting, there was a tiny bit of taint on the palate that crept up with extended airing. I am not disgruntled by this but I can’t say I am exactly gruntled either. Oh for a screwcap.

Aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice, mint, capsicum and cedar oak. Classic Coonawarra. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of mulberry, cassis, a little capsicum and cigar box. Ripe yet refined. Lovely fine tight tannin and fresh acidity. Good length of flavour. A wine of considerable finesse and class and an absolute snip at the price.

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