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In between tasting a whole raft of other things I grabbed this from the fridge in order to refresh the old palate, and what a refreshing change of pace it made. It’s made from Chardonnay and Aligoté (no skins) and offers a refreshing bubble of difference. Imported by Marcus Gniel at Ce Soir Wine of smouldering James Bond style B&W photograph on the back of business card fame.

It opens with indistinct fruitiness, possibly apple and lemon sherbet with a little complex smoky sulphide and a round of cream biscuits. It has a big creamy foamy mouthfeel with lots of bubbles that’s both dry and charming, light, fresh and rather fluffy. A bit like stuffing powder snow into your mouth (although no need to get up after the experience here unless you drink too much). It’s wheaty and delicious. Flavour. Expression. Difference. Style. Drinkability. I love it. Do it. DO IT.

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The Barons Langwerth von Simmerns’ history in the Rheingau dates back to 1464. This makes them the oldest continuously operated family business in the world. Their estate commands 26 acres of some of the best vineyards in the Rheingau, which are now run by the Baron George and his wife Baroness Andrea Langwerth von Simmern.

If you open it young you’ll be greeted by a bit of free sulphur (nothing too daunting mind you) but then comes the reward - an explosion of citrus, white peach, mineral and spice. It’s racy and spritzy on the palate with tingling sherbetty flavours of tangerine, lime, lemon and passionfruit sorbet and fairly bursts through the mouth. It has strong acidity to balance the juicy fruit and finishes very long with a tangy acid bite on exit. It’s a powerhouse of Riesling purity - a brilliant Kabinett.

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Made from a 5 acre vineyard in Clevedon, about 40 minutes by car from Auckland, and blended to reflect the relative proportions of Merlot, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in the vineyard.

A fascinating nose, showing red currants, tobacco leaf, not quite tomato leaf, dried herbs and faintly smoky stalks. There are also hints of blackcurrants, and some mulch and leaf. A glass swirler. A sensual and sensational palate, red currant, blackcurrant, blackberry, cedary dryness, herby and savoury, and some stalk on the finish (but it’s not green). Very tasty stuff, but it is the velvety tannins, the fantastic mouthfeel and the length that just goes on and on that makes this an outstanding wine. Well worth having a few in the cellar.

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Not La Crau…La Crau! That little addendum to the name often causes a bit of confusion as to whether there are two old telegraphs…but like the Highlander, there can be only one. There is a second wine now though, mind you, called Vieux Telegramme, and some say this is responsible for a bit of improvement in the more expensive offering. Not so sure of that. Also of note is that both my Vieux Telegraphe T-Shirts are now boot polishing rags after over ten years of trusty service. I bought them at the winery in 1997, one as a gift for a friend, which I decided to keep for myself because they fit me so well. I did tell him I bought one of them for him though. It’s the thought that counts after all.

It smells of raspberry and fresh blackberry, peanut shells, liquorice allsorts, spice and flowers. Beautiful and pure to smell. On the palate medium to full bodied with fresh acidity, firm dry tannins and great vigour. It has flavours of crushed berry, mineral, pepper and pushes through the mouth with great purpose and energy. Very long expansive finish. A great wine, and as usual with a young VT, the last glass is always the very best.

Other vintages : 2000, 1982

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I bought a dozen of these recently because the combination of handy half bottles and affordable Burgundy from a top vintage proved irresistible. We test drove one last night over dinner with a bit of Chinese roast duck and I am very happy with its performance. Don’t mind the sketchy note, I was not really concentrating, so it’s more of a general impression. I’ll be back for more sultanas I think..

Nice and fresh with raspberry, red cherry, rose and a bit of mineral and spice. On the palate quite richly fruited with raspberry, mineral and spice flavours. It has fresh acidity, but nothing intrusive, and firm smooth tannin. Really good weight and texture - it delivers lots of mouth satisfaction without heaviness. Grippy tannins on exit and good length of flavour. I’d be happy (and was) to drink it now with food but this certainly has its best days ahead of it. Just lovely.

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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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By all accounts (including the highly authoritative Tom Stevenson) the 2002 Champagne vintage is supposed to be a rip snorter (is that one word?) and I was surprised to see one available so soon. I had to buy it (at full retail mind you..shock horror) because I was curious, but more importantly, in possession of a very large bag of fresh seafood..

Open and spicy with subtle peach, starfruit, pastry dough, marzipan and floral aromas. Nice and fresh. On the palate fresh and invigorating with peach, real lemonade, mineral and spiced pastry flavours. It has a little sweetness that is cut with beautiful clean acidity and a soft persistent foamy mouthfeel. Gentle and delicate with no grating or harsh characters - a Champagne that quietly encourages the next sip. Finishes long and clean with a spice and bitter lemon aftertaste. I think we are in for a bit of a treat with this vintage.

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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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I’d like to drink a lot more Italian wine but very sadly I have finite capacity. I bought a few of these a couple of months ago and finally got round to drinking one this evening with a fine bit of Japanese style Wagyu beef. Magic.

Aromas of cherry, red berries, licorice, dried herb, earth and smoke. Quite rich but typically Tuscan and so welcoming. On the palate medium to full bodied with flavours of cherry, earth and licorice with plenty of dry chunky tannin and balanced acidity - rustic yet highly civilised. It has a big finish of licorice and cherry and offers supreme enjoyment from beginning to end. Molto buona.

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It was tasting through a variety of wines the other day at North Sydney Cellars (on the old Enomatic) and this Sicilian made from the Nero d’Avola grape jumped up and gesticulated wildly at me. I just had to buy a bottle.

Aromas of sour dark cherry, licorice, dried herbs, cracked pepper, smoke and baked earth. Not fruity although deep and rich. On the palate medium to full bodied with black cherry, licorice, bitter chocolate, earth and dried herb flavours. It has chunky lightly gritty tannins and fresh acid to balance and feels dry, earthy and very satisfying to drink. Surprisingly expansive and long with a dry and savoury dark cherry and earth aftertaste. This is packed with personality and charm and drinking it made me happy. It’s one of the most enjoyable wines I’ve had in quite a while.

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I have had a crack at this particular wine twice now. The first out of big glasses (next to the 2006 PHI Pinot) at an informal tasting and the second out of little glasses at an informal dinner. I know I am bad and I should pay more attention, but no matter which way you slice the old tamarillo, this is an outstanding wine that stands up and performs every time.

Aromas of dark cherry, spice, dark chocolate, violet and a tangy orange peel top note. A bit earthy, fruity and fragrant all in one. On the palate smooth fine talc-like tannins and a lithe muscular frame with expansive and mouth filling fruit. Plenty of flavour, but not heavy or clumsy. There are flavours of dark cherry and berry, spice, undergrowth and tamarillo with a light (and very attractive) sarsaparilla character adding regional interest. Long and persistent (Are we finished yet? Are we finished yet?). I wasted no time buying a few bottles for the cellar.

Other vintages: 2005, 2003

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One way or another I think there are going to be a fair few Champagne corks flying around this neck of the woods over the coming weeks. This is a sample that I have been VERY much looking forward to tasting in the renowned style. I think this vintage of Belle seems a bit more subdued and stylish than I remember but I could be wrong. It has been known to happen.

Aromas of lemon biscuit, yeast, hazelnut, flowers and a little cream. Complex, sophisticated and multi-layered. On the palate a very fine persistent tingle of tiny bubbles with a lovely delicate texture and gentle acidity. Nothing abrasive or coarse. It has flavours of lemon, white peach, hazelnut, yeast, vanilla and mineral. Only fractionally off dry and quite salty and tangy to taste. Finishes very long and dry with a delicious lightly creamy salty lemon tang. A great wine.

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I love Fino and Manzanilla. It is the perfect drink (and possibly best) to have of a warm summers night. I have tested this theory in Sevilla and also obtained equally good results in Sydney. A few of these, a quick beer, a few more cooling sherries, a cheeky beer, another sherry. Magic. This stock is bottled Aug07, and as with all Fino and Manzanilla, freshness is of paramount importance.

Aromas of sea spray, yeast, almonds and chamomile. So tangy and invigorating that the mouth starts to water in anticipation. Clean and fresh on the palate with briny salted almond and yeasty flavours and again with that lovely mouth perfume of chamomile. Finishes dry and salty leaving the mouth refreshed and ready for action. One of the best things you can drink.

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Lincoln has been very slack this week so I think I will cut his grass and do a Burgundy…Anyway, I walked into North Sydney Cellars a few weeks ago and saw this coming into stock and said “eh up lad, best tha give us one of those then”….and now I say..”Jules my good man, place a few of these behind the counter for me, and I’ll pay you promptly next Tuesday!”

Strong colour with aromas of cherry, mineral and soil, a little floral lift and a touch of black jellybean. On the palate medium bodied with dark cherry, raspberry, mineral and earthy flavours. It has a fine spread of fruit with saturating fine grained tannins and crisp acidity. Lovely balance and length. This tastes more like Premier Cru than village, but perhaps that is just a function of the outstanding vintage, either way this is an affordable taste of excellent Burgundy.

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From Ribera del Duero. A rich red in colour, with splashings of deep purple. It just makes me what to sing a couple of verses of “Highway Star”. The nose is complex and alluring, like the sirens of the sea, showing blackberries and sage, coffee grounds, smoke, minerals, and some creamy and nutty characters that dissipated with time. The palate is smooth, with blackberries and blueberries, and tannins that I am in awe of, ripe and meltingly soft, finishing with nutmeg and cinnamon spices. It is supple and concentrated, drinkable, too drinkable, and my head does say it’s boozier than my palate thinks it is. Strangely, it closed down after 5 or 6 hours. Probably needs time given the pedigree of the producer.

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I needed a change of pace the other night so decided to tuck into a bottle of Chablis. A classically reserved nose, with oyster shells, hard green fruits, spice, and just a touch of ripe asparagus, but nothing herbaceous. The palate displayed wonderfully tight peaches and yellow fruits, a bit of musk and preserved lemon, all with a flinty and minerally finish. It is structured, possessing tremendous mouthfeel and persistence, power with restraint, purity and beautiful length. A wine for which time stops; I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Everyone should have some 2001 Rioja in their cellars. If you have not got round to it then I would suggest buying a bit of this modestly priced beauty. I bought six just for the record.

Aromas of cherry, red berry, mineral, lead pencil and subtle vanilla oak. A lovely subdued smell with bottle age adding an extra layer of complexity and finesse. On the palate medium bodied with light cherry and red berry fruit and more savoury tobacco and lead pencil flavours combining with some smart choc-vanilla oak to create a beautifully balanced flavour profile. Fresh acidity and fine lightly dry tannins reinforce the charming and gentle nature of this wine. Finishes with red berry and a little spice. One of the most enjoyable wines I have had in weeks and for balance and typicity I have added an extra point.

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Firstly I must say that this seems riper than the 2003, which is odd because the vintages were I believe quite the opposite, not that 2004 was cool by any means, just that 2003 was very warm. All this is not a bad thing though, because I think this wine provides a good bridge between the old world and the new world. Kirsch, red currants and red cherries, leather, minerals, and almost metallic but not tinny, spice, pepper, dry and old spices. The palate follows, glossy red fruits, some savoury minerality, good and honest length. Tremendous value for $20, or thereabouts. I liked the ‘03, but this is likeable in a different way, with such a lovely richness and no overripe characters. If you are interested in something slightly off the SA wine-route, buy a few bottles of this - you will not regret it.

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This is my second bottle of this wine. I think I might have consumed my previous bottle too quickly, so I gave this one a good decant. Though I must say that it is slightly disquietening opening a bottle of wine at 8 o’clock in the morning; at least there weren’t any brown paper bags in the vicinity.

A blend of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo. Quite a savoury and persuasive nose, with dark cherries and undergrowth, some leather and dusted cherries, fine clean earth and spices like oregano and savoury. The palate is savoury too, with cherry fruits and blacker fruits too, dry spices, fine and dusty tannins, and a charming acid spine. A wine with some depth of flavour, perfectly suited to the winter climate in Brisbane, and really everyone should have a few bottles of this in the cellar.

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At a great Pinot based evening with friends a very worthwhile yet at the same time eclectic collection of Pinots were produced, all served masked and all turned out to be very good. When I say “Blind”, the provider of the individual bottle knew what they had brought but had no idea of the others. I have been wanting to try this wine for some time and even though I knew what it was I can honestly say it was better than I expected. The nose had a lovely concentration of red cherry. I know this wine gets some new oak but on this occasion it did not stand out on the palate. The palate was all about Pinosity, lovely rich red cherry flavours to begin with moving into dark cherry on the finish. Glorious texture, elegance and balance. One of the best Oregon Pinots that I have tried.

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