Appellation Australia

A fun offline in Sydney focusing on “Cult” wines - generally defined as small production (and often hard to obtain) wines that receive large scores from prominent overseas wine critics.

All wines except for the two sparkling wines were tasted blind. The identities of the wines were known (except for the mystery wine) but not the order or the flight that they would be in. The wines were divided into the two sparklings and then four flights of four, the wines listed in the order of tasting below.

A vote was taken at the end of the night and before the identities of the wines were revealed, with each person nominating their five favourite wines, wth 5 points given for a 1st place vote and so on until 1 point for a 5th placed vote.

Tarlant “Brut Zero” NV (Champagne):
This has a light straw-green colour with a fine bead. Nose is comprised of lemon, pears and unripe nectarines. The zero dosage really shows on the palate which is very dry and tastes like tart apples. Finishes rather abruptly, but for the price it serves its purpose.
86/100

Wild Duck Creek “Sparkling #2″ (Heathcote):
There was a very light fizz and mousse to this wine. The nose is cheesy, yeasty and there is a touch of a spirity type background character on the nose and palate that adds to the wine rather than causing problems with balance. The light fizz lends a interesting texture and creamy character to the palate. There are multiple layers of complexity to this wine and I was rather impressed overall.
91/100

Kay Brothers “Block 6″ 1996 (McLaren Vale):
There is smoky, toasted oak on the nose as well as raisins, tar, brown sugar and some alcohol heat. The oak and alcohol carries onto the palate, throwing the balance of the wine into disarray.
84/100

D’Arenberg “Dead Arm” 1996 (McLaren Vale):
Liquorice, cherry and chocolate on the somewhat reclusive nose. The palate is soft and without any real complexity or character to call attention to. Fairly disappointing, especially once the identity was revealed.
86/100

Rockford “SVS Hoffmann” 1996 (Barossa Valley):
This wine delivers a ripe, rich, crowd pleasing nose of liquorice, blueberry, raspberry, blueberry and a cherry liqueur character. The palate was ripe and packed with deep fruit flavour but also showed good length and balance. I was surprised to find out that this was ten years old and still showing so much primary fruit character - it seems like it is going to live a very long life and if it stays balanced it could be very good.
89/100

Clarendon “Astralis” 1996 (McLaren Vale):
A bizarre (read: horrible) nose of pumpkin, green beans with melted butter and tobacco. Palate is short, with drying tannins and is genuinely dreadful. Something wrong with the bottle obviously, maybe it was opened and left in the oven with a roast dinner?
75/100

Whistling Eagle “Eagle’s Blood” 2002 (Heathcote):
A nose comprised of deep spice and blackberry, red fruits and a violet floral touch. Delivers a tight, classy palate with gorgeous texture and fine-grained tannins providing serious structure. This stood out in a crowd of generally opulent wines as showing that a wine can have good flavour while also showing restraint.
92/100

Standish “The Standish” 2001 (Barossa Valley):
Shows dominant medicinal characters, chocolate, vanilla and sweet, ripe raspberry jam on the nose. The palate is dense, jammy and lacks any sense of cohesion.
82/100

Kaesler “Weapons of Mass Seduction” Shiraz/Cabernet 2002 (Barossa Valley):
A bright, perfumed, complex nose of musk, cinnamon, violet, blackcurrant, chocolate, plums and smoked meat. The palate is brooding and there are oodles of deep set fruit here. Provides a balanced, refined palate with a defined structure that bodes very well for the future potential of this wine. Drinking the remains of the bottle two nights later and it is worth a points more, the nose is still vibrant and the palate has taken on a delicious spicy and smoky character while retaining its length and balance.
93/100

Glaetzer “Godolphin” Shiraz/Cabernet 2004 (Barossa Valley):
A punchy nose of dark cherry, blackberry, some vanilla and floral overtones. The thing that really lifted this wine apart from the rest for me was that while it was rich and generous in flavour, unlike some of the other wines on the night that felt one dimensional and forced, there was much more to it. It was structured, focused and balanced (15% alcohol but didn’t show it) with a super seductive, pure silky texture to it. This was a really impressive wine and my favourite on the night. The only “problem” is that I can perhaps see that it could end up being a better wine while young than with much more age on it, but that it easily solved by drinking and enjoying it now for the special wine that it is.
95/100

Chris Ringland “Randall’s Hill” 1995 (Barossa Valley):
Spice, earth, smoke and tobacco on the nose as well as a smattering of oak. The palate is opulent and slightly over the top, with the richness masking any nuance that the wine has to offer at this stage. Again, I was slightly surprised by the age on this when revealed.
89/100

Greenock Creek “Roennfeldt Road” Shiraz 1997 (Barossa Valley):
Seems rather restrained on the nose with tar, earth and some blackberry. The palate has a very big flavour profile without ever seeming to stray into over the top ripe characters. Very good and could well get better with time.
92/100

Torbeck “RunRig” 1998 (Barossa Valley):
Chocolate, blackcurrant and some stewed fruit characters - didn’t get any hint of Viognier and didn’t imagine it would be revealed as the Runrig. The palate is savoury and textured but the balance is marred by alcohol spikes along the line of the wine.
87/100

Wild Duck Creek “Duck Muck” 2000 (Heatcote):
A cooked, spirity, meaty, pepper, VA, vegetable nose. Palate has no balance and finishes very short. Perhaps something bad happened to this bottle, but I think it had been cellared properly since release by the owner. The nicest thing that I could say about it is that at least it wasn’t quite as bad as the Astralis.
79/100

Kalleske “Johann Georg” 2004 (Barossa Valley):
A youthful nose of lovely floral notes, black pepper and vibrant red fruits. The standout elements of the palate were the great texture and stylish mouth-feel although the generous flavour and very good length were also positive attributes. One of the wines on the night to show the critical balance between generosity of flavour and structure that turns a very good wine into an excellent wine.
93/100

The Mystery Ring-in - Domaine du Pegau “Cuvee Reserve” 2003 (Chateauneuf du Pape, France):
Chinese five spice powder, condensed onion essence, violets and a slightly rancid funky edge. The palate is unfocused, metallic and got worse with time in the glass before getting what it deserved (poured into the spittoon of shame). I don’t mind some brett but this was terrible.
77/100

Glaetzer “Amon Ra” 2004 (Barossa Valley):
There are notes of mocha, ground coffee, vanilla bean and raspberry on the nose. The palate is rich and generous, but there are signs of class there as well. Firm tannins form the backbone of the excellent structure with the finish very long and satisfying. Perhaps a smidge too much oak at this stage but the depth of fruit could well stand tall and hold things together until it comes into balance over the next few years.
93/100

Noon “Reserve” Shiraz 2004 (Langhorne Creek/McLaren Vale):
A mix of seaweed, blood, iodine and spirit characters. The palate has weight through obvious oak influence and there is an alcohol spike on the mid-palate that destroys any semblance of balance. Not enjoyable at all.
84/100

The group of 10 rated the wines as follows;
1: Kalleske Johan Georg….39pts (six 1sts, three 3rds)
2: Glaetzer Amon Ra……….37pts (two 1sts, five 2nds, one 3rd, two 4ths)
3: Glaetzer Godolphin……..32pts (one 1st, three 2nds, five 3rds)
4: Greenock Creek RR……..12pts (one 2nd, two 4ths, four 5ths)
5: Rockford Hoffman………..7pts (one 2nd, one 4th, one 5th)
6: Kaesler WOMS ……………6pts (two 4ths, two 5ths)
7: Standish…………………….5pts (one 1st)
8= Kays Block 6………………3pts (one 3rd)
8= Whistling Eagle………….3pts (one 4th, one 5th)
10=D’Arenberg DA…………..2pts (one 4th)
10=Torbreck RunRig…………2pts (one 4th)
12=Randalls Hill……………….1pt (one 5th)
12=Noon Reserve…………….1pt (one 5th)

No votes: Duck Muck, Pegau, Astralis

An enjoyable night and as always with blind tasting, very educational. Worthy of comment is the fact that the the wines that cost $100, $65 and $40 (my favourite on the night) came out by a long margin on top of some of the other wines that can fetch upwards of $400 at auction …

A 375ml bottle opened for my birthday recently. Disgorged in July/August 2004.
Displays a very fine bead with a small but persistent mousse. The nose is fresh and at the same time complex - mushroom, lemon zest, pear and peach, fresh wholemeal bread and marzipan. The palate has a lively, refreshing and creamy mouthfeel with a refined weight that builds and builds with time in the glass. Depth, balance, structure and length of the palate are all exceptional. I think Krug NV would make my “stranded on a desert island wine list” without too much trouble at all.

95/100

Tasting Note: Straw yellow in colour with specks of green throughout. Honey, toast and fresh lemon zest on the nose. An explosion of lime and honeyed mouth-filling intensity with a focused line of acidity holding everything together through the outstanding length of the palate. An excellent wine close to its peak.

When to Drink: 2006 - 2009

Score: A superb aged Clare Valley Riesling that is one of the very best I have tried this year. 93/100

What a great night and opportunity this was to taste wines from the two leading big name Cabernet producers in Margaret River from some generally good to great vintages. These wines were all from the same cellar and only the Mount Langi ring-in was tasted blind.

Lanson Black Label NV
The nose is fresh and lively with aromas of apples and a touch of toast. The palate doesn’t have a great deal of depth, but it is very refreshing which is the whole point of this wine. Good value for money in the Champagne stakes.
87/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1999
A deep colour. Some toasty chocolate/mocha oak with dusty and briary/brambly aromas. The palate is fairly generous with good intensity and body. There is a suggestion of oak backing to the palate, but also the depth of fruit to hold it in check. Fine tannins complete the package, but you will need to have patience to let this wine really show what it can do in about 10 years time.
92/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Blood, iodine, blackcurrant and briary aromas. Slightly astringent tannins on the palate with deep, dark fruit loitering in the background. Medium length and without real texture or complexity, but you suspect that this wine will look better in 6-8 years time.
89/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1998
There is a hint of floral, violety youth to the nose that is smothered by a wave of vanilla oak. Again on the palate, oak dominating any character that the wine may have had to offer. Seems to have good length and plenty of firm tannins left. Is it just in a difficult phase of its life? Perhaps it is, I struggle to see that there will be enough fruit left to swallow the oak in the future.
85/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
A melange of un-diluted lime cordial (it had a sweet concentrated artificial lime smell), spearmint and weedy aromas. Very astringent, austere palate with no generosity of flavour or depth. The only bottle left unfinished at the end of the evening.
83/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1996
The first bottle shared some common characteristics with well worn sport shoes - somewhat smelly and lacking fruit. Not corked as far as we could tell, just bad.

The second bottle was much better, plenty of blackberry, tobacco and roast beef. Had lots of rich, deep fruit on the still youthful palate. Good balance and length, perhaps lacking in character and complexity at the moment to be considered better than very good, this may come with time.

First bottle: 82/100 - Second Bottle: 92/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1996
A floral nose with blackberry, cassis and plum. Shines on the palate, with excellent balance, super length and tannin structure. Not really showing any secondary development at all yet, but it has the structure to end up being excellent in 5-10 years time.
92/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1995
Probably the best judged use of oak on the Cullen wines on the night, well integrated and balanced cedar as well as floral scents and loads of sweet fruit - raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant. The palate shows excellent balance and great structure with fine tannins. Some very deep-seated fruit lends a restrained intensity to the palate. Will live and develop positively for a long time.
93/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1995
Was a little bit furry and mousey with some game, bramble and pencil shaving aromas coming in underneath. I thought that the palate was elegant bordering on under-fruited. Not close in quality to a bottle we opened earlier in the year from the same cellar.
88/100

Cullen “Diane Madeline” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1994
A tight nose with some tar, blood, blackcurrant and tomato leaf. The palate is austere and the drying tannins are the prominent character that lead into a rather abrupt finish.
86/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1994
The nose was fairly restrained with some soap, herbs, briary notes and tobacco. The palate has a twinge of astringency, foiling the otherwise excellent line and length. A generous, rich berry flavour to the palate which I think should carry this wine forward for some time yet.
90/100

Cullen “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1991
Ash, tobacco and blackberry on the nose. The palate is elegant and balanced but also a touch dull, lacking any great levels of complexity, intensity or depth. A good wine, drinking well now, but unlikely to get much better with additional age.
88/100

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 1991
I think that the first bottle was mildly corked or at the very least the fruit was stripped from the palate.

The second bottle was somewhat better with a bloody, tary and iodine nose. The shows good depth of fruit considering the age and decent balance, but not a great deal of complexity or interest really.
First Bottle: NR/100 - Second Bottle: 88/100

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 1997 (magnum)
Corked! Equivalent to two bottles being undrinkable. Bloody corks.
NR/100

Chateau Cantemerle 1983
Roast vegetables, cigar box and well integrated cedary oak. The palate is balanced, savoury and all the components were well integrated. Pulled up a touch short on the finish and just started to slip out of balance after 30 minutes in the glass, but a nice mature wine while it lasted.
88/100

Mount Langi Ghiran “Langi” Shiraz 1994
Dried chilli flakes, chalk, nutmeg, blackberry and some trademark pepper that became much more obvious to me once the label was revealed The palate is spicy and has great balance and length. Shows excellent aged texture and complexity. A super wine that must be close to hitting its peak, but has the structure to live for a long time.
93/100

There has been some news recently about two $2AUD ($1.50USD) cleanskin wines being offered by Dan Murphy’s, who are owned by a major supermarket chain here in Australia.

I decided to see what a $2 wine tastes like and to put it into a blind test against another wine. My girlfriend poured the $2 wine and a $15 wine that I knew the identity of but hadn’t tasted before, in another room and brought me the glasses.

The $15 wine was purchased last year and is a 2001 Cabernet Merlot from Margaret River, the $2 wine was purchased this week from Dan Murphy’s and is a 2006 Cabernet Merlot South East Australian blend with code WE3. Despite the difference in age, I still feel it is a valid comparison of two wines that you can walk into a store and buy at similar periods of time at the different price points.

Both wines bottled under screwcap and both tasted from Riedel ‘O’ Series Cabernet/Merlot glasses. The $15 wine is 14.5% alcohol and the $2 wine is 13.5%.

Wine A

This really smells like Cabernet - tobacco, briar, blackcurrant, black olives, liquorice and well integrated dusty and cedary French oak. In a totally different flavour spectrum to wine B, much more savoury black fruits showing through. A balanced palate that has good texture, firm tannins and very good length. I think this is probably the $15 wine and for my taste it is streets ahead of the cleanskin with much greater depth and interest.

90/100

Wine B

A bright, fresh fruit driven nose of with dominant apricots as well as cherry and plum. The palate is driven almost entirely by juicy fruit sweetness, it is of medium length and it offers no depth of flavour, it is very linear right across the palate. Tastes like a “Generic Medium Bodied Red Wine”, but it is without major faults and pretty easy to drink if you don’t want to think about it. I am sure that this is the cleanskin and I’ve had worse wines that have cost $100, let alone $2.

85/100

Summary: My girlfriend unveiled the bottles and Wine A was the $15 wine and Wine B was the $2. This was as I expected, but the $2 wine put up a decent enough fight and I’m certain that some people would prefer it to Wine A. There are some interesting times ahead if this continues, there will be a lot of pressure on the other sub $10 labels if wines of this fault-free quality are available in the demanded quantities for casual drinkers for an extended period of time.

I have the $2 Chardonnay as well and I’ll be doing another blind taste test of that sometime soon.

Following on from the previous post about interesting search terms, I’ve been seeing some other strange/interesting ones appear lately.Some selected odd ones over the past month or so;

anthony bourdain gay? - Thanks to Ed saying that this was the most interesting search term that he received in a comment on the previous post, now I’m getting them!

CAM FRUIT. COM - Looking at the first result for that search, I’m again fairly sure that they weren’t looking for a wine review site.

WHAT POISON DO - This one has me slightly concerned but I hope they found some good advice eventually.

ontario cabbage king - Sadly, whoever they were looking for isn’t even the King of cabbage in all of Canada, just Ontario.

australia 431 connection type - No idea really - maybe it’s a spare part for one of those “all six wheeler ducks”?

signs that you have conceived - Not really my area of expertise at all, but I think that there are tests you can get for that sort of thing that are surely slightly more accurate than random web searching.

I started this event by looking at some varied set of six Pinot Noir with wine writer Peter Bourne and the winemakers from Willow Creek and Ten Minutes by Tractor on the opening Friday night.

Willow Creek “Tulum” Pinot Noir 2004 - (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria):
Ah, I’ve wandered into the Shiraz tutorial by mistake. No? Oh.

Hits you with a rich, ripe nose with boudin noir/black pudding, rhubarb, mint and spice aromas. The palate has masculine power and plenty of flavour but it lacks length and lacks class. Perhaps it is a Pinot Noir for those that don’t like Pinot Noir? I happen to like Pinot Noir.
85/100

10 Minutes by Tractor “Wallis Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2003 - (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria):
A light-mid red colour. A more reclusive nose than the Tulum, but also cleaner in nature with red cherry, a slight floral edge and some oak showing through. The palate is elegant and has good texture, but again the oak comes to the fore. It may be better in a couple of years if the fruit can hold up.
87/100

Pipers Brook Estate Pinot Noir 2004 - (Northern Tasmania):
Stalks and earth on the shy, weak nose. The palate also lacks intensity, depth and character. Very disappointing and I don’t think that it’ll get better.
83/100

Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2004 - (Central Otago, New Zealand):
Dense purple in colour. The nose has aromas of beetroot, blue cheese, earth, black cherries and a touch of spice. The palate has good length, but it leans too far into the juicy, plummy, ripe spectrum and loses varietal typicity as a result. There is also some alcohol heat poking through.
85/100

Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 2002 - (Burgundy, France):
Has an elegant, spicy nose with plums and cherries. The palate is simple without a great deal of depth or intrigue but at least shows balance and elegance, something that was forgotten about in some of the previous wines. I don’t think it is going to get too much better, but it will be good to drink over the next couple of years.
88/100

Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits St. Georges “Les Pruliers” 1er Cru 2002 - (Burgundy, France):
Shows off a restrained, clean nose with spice, black cherries and floral scents. The palate is where the class of this wine shines through with lovely depth and complexity as well as an intensity of flavour that is refined rather than brutish. Super length, a genuine step up in quality, and it will deliver lots of enjoyment over the next 10 years.
92/100

A fun night recently with some of my wine drinking associates where we celebrated the birthyear (and in one case the conception year) of the people attending with wines from that vintage. The years we were celebrating were 1963, 1968, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984. None of the years are especially legendary or classic, but we still managed to put on a very good selection.

Krug 1979 - (Champagne, France):

There is a very fine bead on this but not much mousse. Orange peel, honey, almond, some oxidative characters and some toast. Compared to the bottle I had at Marque earlier in the year I thought it was lacking the flavour concentration on the palate that endeared me to the previous bottle. For me, the palate had a slightly odd sweet and sour element battle being waged.

90/100

Seppelt “Maturation Release” Riesling 1984 - (Eden Valley, South Australia):

Opens with passion fruit, lime, floral touches and some toast on the nose. Palate is simple and lacks definition. A nice enough wine, but certainly not living up to reputation as being one of the classic Australian aged Rieslings. Consistent with the last bottle I tried which was disappointing.

86/100

Trimbach Clos-Ste.-Hune Riesling 1981 - (Alsace, France):

A shimmering light gold colour. My first sniff straight out of the bottle was not promising - very sulphurous, but given some air time, I felt that it really started to open up with wax, straw, petrol and citrus emerging. The palate was where the class and finesse of this wine really shone through though - super balance, style, structure and length! Might be one of the few ’81s that will stick around for my 30th birthday!

92/100

Mildara “Peppermint Patty” Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1963 - (Coonawarra, South Australia):

The was low to mid shoulder in level. There were a series of approving noises being made about the medium garnet colour of this while it was being poured into the decanter. There was just a slight tinge of brick-red around the edges in the glass. What an amazing set of aromas it produced - smoke, leather, blackcurrant, dried flowers, a slight mulchy element, caramel, vanilla and even a touch of peppermint leading into eucalyptus. A superbly balanced, multi-layered palate with breathtaking length.

This was a very special experience. A legendary wine that is apparantly showing lots of variation between bottles, I think we were lucky to get one that was in the best condition that could have been hoped for.

98/100

Chateau Latour 1970 - (Bordeaux, France):

The nose is deep and rich with graphite, menthol, roasted meats, blackcurrant and some mulchy and cheesy characters. The palate is youthful and shows aggressive tannins along with reasonably good length. Didn’t live up to reputation and probably suffered from coming after the Peppermint Patty.

92/100

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1979 - (Bordeaux, France):

This wine was poured along with the story of one of the attendees proclaiming to her boyfriend earlier in the day that she was unready to die as she had not yet tasted Cheval Blanc! Initially the nose is pretty decent, some violets, cherry, spice and florals but these seemed to disappear quickly to be dominated by band-aid aromas. Palate wasn’t great from the start with a lack of fruit resulting in a thin, sharp and short palate. She might have to continue living for just a bit longer yet to try a good Cheval Blanc!

80/100

Chateau Margaux 1979 - (Bordeaux, France):

This was the best of the three 79s that we tried. Nose shows great character with liquorice, cassis, cedar, pencil shavings, raspberry and violets. A good length palate that has aggressive tannins coming in over the top and disrupting the flow somewhat.

90/100

Chateau Trotanoy 1979- (Bordeaux, France):

My first Trotanoy. Aromas of sea salt and brine, iodine and briary characters. The palate showed little to generate any excitement and started heading out of balance and downhill shortly after being poured.

86/100

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 1981- (Bordeaux, France):

A nose of cedar, graphite, pencil shavings, violets, earth and some meats. The palate is a disappointment that lets the wine down – entirely austere and overly tannic.

85/100

Chateau Haut-Brion 1981- (Bordeaux, France):

Cooked, spoiled, yeasty, oxidised … totally stuffed basically.

NR

Tyrrell’s Vat 5 Shiraz 1981 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales)

A lifted floral nose with cinnamon, raspberry, chocolate, plums and tobacco. The palate shows good balance and plenty of sweet fruit but perhaps pulls up a little bit short and lacks complexity. Regardless, it is a good wine from a less than stellar vintage in many areas of the red wine world and was the best of the flight of 81s.

90/100

Penfolds Grange 1977- (South Australia):

Aromas of rhubarb, violets, some smoked meats and a touch of VA. Lovely aged complexity as well as rich fruits on the palate along with great length and good balance. Pretty close to its peak I would think.

92/100

Penfolds Grange 1979 - (South Australia):
A fairly imposing nose with vanilla oak, caramel, chocolate, liquorice, raspberry, VA and tar. Palate showed very good length but was lacking in anything much else to get excited about.

90/100

Penfolds Grange 1980 - (South Australia):
Lots of dried herbs and tea leaves on the nose as well as raspberry and redcurrant. The palate was simple, short, one dimensional and lacked structure.

85/100

Penfolds Grange 1981 - (South Australia):
Oak, ground coffee beans, some nuttiness, sweet fruits and a smidge of VA. Palate is youthful, with reasonably good length but again some clumsy tannins on the finish throw off the balance of the wine.

89/100

Penfolds Grange 1984 - (South Australia):

Nose is fairly simple at this stage with a fair bit of vanilla oak, blueberry and blackberry. Palate shows some youthful richness but it is ultimately too oaky and there is some bitterness on the finish. Based on this bottle I would be giving it more time, but I’m not entirely convinced that it will come into balance.

87/100

Chateau Musar 1979 - (Bekaa Valley, Lebanon):

A cloudy ruby colour. Earth, ash, VA, spice and smoked delicatessen meats on the nose. The palate has abundant style! Medium bodied, good balance, great length. This was my first Musar, and hopefully not the last.

91/100

Moulin Touchais 1977 - (Loire Valley, France):

Slightly oxidative nose with sour apples, ripe pear, lemon and butterscotch. Too much acid causing the palate to look disjointed and a bit short.

86/100

Hardy’s Vintage Port 1968 - (South Australia):

Has a caramel, toffee and nutty nose. Palate is fine - pretty good balance and seems reasonably fresh but there isn’t any real depth or complexity.

87/100

I had a chance to very briefly sample a few of the mid-year new release Giaconda wines earlier this evening. Giaconda from Beechworth in Victoria, is famous for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which are released along with the Cabernet and Shiraz towards the end of the year, but they sell two interesting white wines in the middle of year as well as a new release of the second tier “McClay Road” label from fruit that didn’t make the cut for the Giaconda label.

The Nantua ‘Les Deux’ Chardonnay 2005 is comprised of 93% Chardonnay and 7% Roussanne. The nose has elements of stonefruits, peach, apple and roasted nuts to it. The palate has an interesting texture to it, but I also found some bitterness that caused disruption to the line and the focus. I’ve never really had much affection for previous vintages of this wine and my mind wasn’t changed by this. At $45 a bottle, it isn’t for me. 87/100

Next up was the Aeolia Roussanne 2005. The nose is waxy as well as showing ripe pear and lemon rind characters. There is an oily texture and luscious, viscous mouth-feel to the palate while still having focused acidity and avoiding being over the top. It finishes with a bit of a punch and with good lasting length. It’s not really my style and at $75 I’m not tempted, but it is certainly interesting and I could see some people with different tastes getting excited about it. 90/100

McClay Road Shiraz 2005 is the second release of this second-tier Giaconda label, the first being the declassified, smoke-tainted 2003 vintage wines. I’m reminded a bit of the Castagna Sauvage 2003 Shiraz by this, although the McClay isn’t quite as feral. The complex nose does display lovely savoury smoked meat characters and black pepper. The palate is balanced and while the depth and length are slightly lacking, the wine as a whole is going to be good to drink over the next couple of years. At around $35, it is just about at the right price for what it is. 90/100

Finally, I was able to try the “Warner Vineyard” Shiraz 2004 which has just been delivered in the past couple of months to customers who ordered it late last year. Deep set aromas of graphite, blackberry, spices and earth. It has powerful, deep fruit that is tightly coiled and hits the palate with precision, great length and superb balance. Completely seductive and the antithesis to the ripe, high alcohol, fruit and oak monster Australian Shiraz that seem to get all the attention overseas. An exceptional wine and I’m glad to have a couple of bottles put away to drink over the next 6-8 years. 94/100