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This is a blend of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 33% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot and I grabbed a bottle (last year I think) from the Auckland duty free to give it a whizz at some stage. Last night seemed as good a night as any for a bit of whizzing so we took it out to dinner and had it with some Chinese roast duck.

Aromas of blackcurrant and weak raspberry cordial, dusty cigar box and some green leafy smells. On the palate medium bodied with blueberry and blackcurrant fruit that comes across looking a bit confected, some cedar oak and leafy green flavours. It has light tannins that are again slightly green and hard and don’t provide sufficient shape. On the positive side it is quite refined and classically styled which makes for easy drinking and food friendliness. Pleasant but not great.

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From the Gimblett Gravels in the Hawke’s Bay region. A big dose of crushed white pepper and spices on the nose, with creamy red cherries and some dry woody nuances. The palate shows lovely cool climate characteristics, fresh red cherries and spices, and though the acid does show through a bit there is some lovely balance. An enjoyable wine at a tidy price - I am sure Trevor Chappell would love to tuck into a bottle or two.

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This is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (35%), syrah (35%) and merlot (30%) which threw me into a flat spin trying to work out which category to put it under. A very interesting wine this one. I’d suggest that a few Australian tasters might find it a little too herbal and sappy for their tastes but the more I had of it, the more I liked it. It’s a quality wine, and one that I found strangely compelling.

Garnet red with crushed berry, blackcurrant, pepper, dried herb and spices with a little licorice root richness. A bright and sappy wine with a distinctly grassy edge. On the palate light to medium bodied with fresh tart red berries, blackcurrant, pepper and grassy flavours. It has a firm backbone of dry lightly chalky tannin and lively acidity. Good length of flavour with a fresh dried herb aftertaste. A refreshing wine that complements rather than combats food.

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It has been too long since I had a nice Gamay. A friend got this for me as a bit of a surprise, knowing that I am a a Gamayist. I don’t think it is available in shops in Australia but I think Red and White, the Australian agents, have placed it in some restaurants. A very bright and attractive cherry colour. The nose is classic Village style gamay with violets, cherry and stalky with a bit of that herbal tomato leaf, meant in a positive way. The palate is very juicy and rich showing cherry, violets, a bit of rose and some sweet raspberry at the end. It is easy to drink and very food friendly. Thanks Aidan, it was a great choice.

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I splashed out and bought two bottles of this wine based on three factors. The strength of the vintage, my general enthusiasm for Hawkes Bay syrah and the fact that I am a bit of a Pepperiste. I am a bit bigoted though in that I prefer it to be black rather than white.

Aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, suede, five spice, lots of black pepper and cedar. Absolutely fabulous. On the palate medium bodied with well defined blackcurrant, raspberry and blackberry fruit, black pepper, five spice, licorice and cedar oak. Very cool but rich enough. Very fresh clean prominent acidity and tight fine grained tannins. Long five spice and pepper finish. Great stuff. I’m even more enthusiastic than a waiter with a big new pepper mill…

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We had this at dinner last night at a local Italian restaurant. Not the most formal of tasting environments but I will write it up anyway. It was served alongside a 91 Muga Gran Reserva and 00 Prunotto Barbaresco. Good company (the wines at least).

Intensely peppery with pepper steak spread, blackberry essence, dried herbs, flowers, apricot and vanilla bean. One taster noted a distinct whiff of bandages. On the palate very tight with firm smooth grained tannins. Medium to full bodied but not heavy.There are flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant, sweet dried herbs, pepper, meat and vanilla bean. Finishes dry with meaty peppery flavours. Ideally I would like to get this in a decanter and a dirty great big Riedel glass in order to do the right thing by the wine. Maybe I will. I should. I’d also note that if you don’t like peppery wines then steer well clear of this because there is more pepper floating about here than at a convention for demented Italian waiters. All in all a very enjoyable wine.

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This stupid bottle was too big to fit in the racks in the cellar. It weighs 950g and the punt is so large you could park a mini minor in it. It has been annoying me and it had to be consumed. The La Collina vineyard is a steep terraced hillside vineyard on the north and northwest facing slopes of Roys Hill, west of Hastings in Hawke’s Bay. The vintage is protected from the cooling effects of the southerly and southwesterly winds and during the growing season is bathed in sunshine. The subsoil type is sandstone and limestone, which can be managed unirrigated in all but the driest of seasons. The site is frost free and due to the windy aspect has extremely low disease pressure.

A lovely nose, showing cracked white pepper on a slab of roasted meats, with red cherries and red plums, seductive, cinnamon bark and exotic spices. The palate is a carnival of fruits and meats, savoury and beautifully textured, with a drying finish. Very fine tannins and close knitted; really needs a couple more years to evolve. Oh, and apparently there is 2% Viognier in the blend, but you wouldn’t know from the nose, but perhaps it adds to mouthfeel. Impressive stuff - giddy up!

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I am tucking in I am. All these foamies have to go. They are making my office look very untidy. My new years resolution will be to clear the backlog….although I will most likely fail to do this along with all my other NYE resolutions. It is the thought that counts though…surely?

Aromas of raspberry (conserve), plum, chocolate, a bit of earthiness and spicy wood. Almost like a Yarra pinot from a hot year. On the palate a mix of fresh and dried berries, spice and wood. Quite lively acidity and light grainy tannins. A solid ‘brain off’ wine that is very easy to drink.

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Sauvignon blancs are ,at least in some ways, pretty easy to taste. There has been a torrent of SB arriving at Winorama HQ recently and I am starting to have nightmares about being chased by giant hairy gooseberries…time to fight back a bit…

Quite a sweet smelling wine with apple, lemon, candy and a hint of nettle. On the palate fractionally off dry with lime and apple flavours and a touch of spice. It is only marginally grassy and looks quite ripe overall. Acidity looks a bit coarse. Pleasant, but no more (to borrow a phrase).

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Some cooler weather recently warranted a bigger wine; and I certainly got what I asked for! A very dark red/purple in colour, and a big oaky and juicy nose, nutty oak and blackberries, black olives, pepper and meat, with mocha/coffee/spice notes. The palate is big too, but balanced, with creamy blackberries, caramel, lots of fine ripe tannins, silky smooth and a dry finish. There is quite a lot of oak here, but it is all quality lumber; a wine just asking to be treated seriously. Leave a couple of years before trying again.

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I am always up for an NZ bordeaux blend as I often find them lighter and more refreshing than their pinot noir. This comes from a pretty good Hawkes Bay vintage and also from the highly marketed Gimblett Gravels sub-region so I thought it was worth a punt - particularily because I missed out completely on today’s Melbourne Cup activities….

Attractive clear cherry red colour. Aromas of blackcurrant, cherries dipped in dark chocolate, mint, tobacco and light coffee and pencil oak. On the palate medium bodied with flavours of cherry/plum, raspberry leaf, chocolate, tobacco and spice. Fresh slightly edgy acidity and dry lightly grainy tannins. Dry savoury choc cherry finish of good length. A most attractive and highly drinkable wine.

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This is the super cuvee from Craggy Range. I thought I had better try a bottle. Actually I bought it because I needed to get some money out via EFTPOS and the ATM was too far away and I was in a hurry. So $20 cash out and a $85 bottle of wine. Hmmmm

Aromas of black and blue fruits, pepper, spice, meat and creamy oak. On the palate very soft and smooth with a flood of sweet black and blue fruit, spice, pepper and caramel oak. That mix of sweet fruit and caramel oak makes it taste a bit too much like coca-cola to me. Very fine tannins. Sweet spicy finish of good length. For my tastes this is just too sweet and does not have enough shape and structure. My instincts tell me it won’t cellar well either but you never know. Nonetheless an excellent wine that will appeal to a great many.

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I was at a lunch the other week with ‘ol Slingers from De Bortoli (I love a good name drop) and commented that I was a bit of a Merlotiste. He laughed heartily and asked me to name a few good Merlot based wines. Hmmm. Petrus, Angelus, Vieux Chateau Certan, Lafleur…and Craggy Range I offered up. This was met with much mirth but well…I reckon Hawkes Bay does a good line in Merlot. Certainly better than most Australians (not hard)..so I dedicate this note to ‘ol Slingers. I had an iffy bottle of this a few weeks ago in NZ and said I would try it again and as Arfur Daley might say - ‘My Word is my bond my son’.

Aromas of blackberry, raspberry, tobacco, bay leaf, iodine, earth and coffee cedar oak. Much like the last bottle but the palate is really a step up. This has earthy raspberry, mulberry, coffee and leafy flavours with firm strong tannins and plenty of mid-palate presence. Dry raspberry and coffee finish. A very satisfying merlot.

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This is a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and malbec from Hawkes Bay. Another wine I thought I may as well throw a note up for although I was not being overly analytical while drinking. I liked it and it is quite inexpensive. Worked very well with lamb shanks. Winelist price was $34 (I think) but I have quoted CD price.

Aromas of blackcurrant and berries, earth, cedar and mocha. Maybe a bit of mint. Nice smelling wine. On the palate medium bodied with black and red fruit, earth, mocha oak and some spice and pepper. Acidity has a little bit of bite but an otherwise smooth and enjoyable drink. Dry spicy finish. Excellent value at local prices.

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This was listed as being from Marlborough but I was prepared to forgive them this oversight as it was so modestly priced. Problem is that I thought the wine was mildly corked. I am not one to make a fuss so I let it go but I wonder why they are still using this inferior closure. Get with the program Craggy Range. I have had a few vintages of this wine. The 2000 was particularily good but I think it was called seven poplars or something back then. I do think they do a good line in merlot in Hawkes Bay.

Aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant, leaf/tobacco and coffee cedar oak. On the palate this looked a little bit muted but the blackberry/blackcurrant and leafy fruit was still good enough to drink. Quite strong cedar/mocha oak and fine dry tannins. Looks good even looking through the mild taint. I’ll pick up another bottle in the interests of science. It looks like about 92 points but I can’t be sure. Could be more. Could be less. It’s just an educated guess.

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The first vintage I tried of the Block 14 was the 2001. That was a very good wine. I took a bottle to a dinner in Canberra sometime in winter 2003 (I remember this because it was bloody cold and I wandered home in the wrong direction wearing only shirt sleeves - well pants as well of course..and shoes..anyway) and served it blind. I don’t think anyone picked it as an NZ shiraz.

We opened this while watching England storm through to the next round after giving T&T a right good tupping (better late than never) and had a glass while waiting for the 2002 Clos Mogador to open up. Do not under any circumstances repeat this experiment. It was as JP said ‘a horrid experience’. After a sip of the Clos Mogador the Block 14 looked lush and lovely but really very shapeless. Like falling into a beanbag with too few beans in it. The Clos Mogador very much a straight backed chair.

Aromas of juicy blackberry/boysenberry, pepper, meat, violets and white flowers and subtle cedar oak. A beautiful smelling wine. A half-way house between the new world and the Northern Rhone. On the palate it has ripe soft boysenberry/blackberry fruit, pepper, spice and some meaty flavours. There is also very tasteful caramel flavoured oak. Not too much though mind. Creamy deluxe tannins with a persistant aftertaste. I can’t help but think I would have scored this a couple of points higher on a different night. An outstanding wine though. I think I will have to try another bottle just to make sure…maybe two.

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I have just bought the Kemeny’s Hidden Label Discovery Pack. Six wines, two bottles of each, 3 reds and 3 whites. This is my first bottle. The shop code for this wine is KHL3994.

Pretty red plums, and some dry woody spices, cassia bark and old pepper, animal hide. It could almost be a cool climate Shiraz. The palate shows red fruits and spice again, but unfortunately is a bit lean, almost dry and woody. Strangely, it also tastes corky, which I find quite odd. With a Merlot I was expecting some lushness and summery breezes, but it was not to be - an unexpected disappointment.

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