Appellation Australia

Seppelt - Grampians - http://www.seppelt.com.au

“Salinger” Sparkling 2003 - Crisp green apple nose with a touch of pastry. Palate is clean and dry. Fine for what it is. 85/100
“Victoria” Chardonnay 2005 - Lots of stonefruit and melon on the nose. Palate is clean and easy to drink, with no hard edges. 85/100
“Jaluka” Chardonnay 2006 - Smoky aromas and very restrained oak. Softly textured palate with good length. Pretty enjoyable and should be better with a few years in bottle. 88/100
“Victoria” Shiraz 2004 - Soft nose with a hint of pepper. Palate is soft as well, very round and fruit driven. Not bad for the price range it aims at. 84/100
“Chalambar” Shiraz 2005 - Leather, cinnamon, smoked meat, peppery nose. Palate is savoury and has decent length. 88/100

Scarborough - Hunter Valley - http://www.scarboroughwine.com.au

Semillon 2006 - Lemons and limes on the nose. Very good structure and balance. Length is great. Approachable now but with lots of promise for the future. 90/100
Blue Label Chardonnay 2005 - Minerally and citrus on the restrained nose. A nice vibrant fruit richness to the palate, finishing crisp and dry. 88/100
Yellow Label Chardonnay 2004 - Lime, grassy, some toast. Palate has nice balance between sweet, vibrant fruit, acid and oak. 87/100
Pinot Noir 2004 - Earth, spice and some red berries. Touch of stalk. Palate is medium length but not very interesting. 85/100
“Late Harvest” 2006 - Apricot, spice and orange rind. Clean palate with a delicious light sweetness to it. Good length and balance. 88/100

Peter Howland - Hunter Valley - http://www.peterhowlandwines.com

“Maxwell” Chardonnay 2005 - Nice nutty, mealy aromas. Very restrained palate, great balance with a streak of minerality across the length. Very impressive. 90/100
“Langley” Shiraz 2004 - Raspberry and spices. Palate is a bit dilute and short. 84/100
“Parsons” Shiraz 2004 - Lifted berry nose. Palate has lots of flavour without being too intense. Very good length. Classy. 89/100
“Pine Lodge” 2004 - Dark chocolate. gravel and mint. Palate is minty as well. Not bad but not really my preferred style. 87/100

Mount Vincent - Hunter Valley - http://www.mvewines.com.au

“Walaga” Semillon Verdelho 2004 - Honey and tropical fruits. Nice in the mouth but finishes a bit too broad. 86/100
“Walaga” Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - Aromas of gooseberry and grass. Crisp palate that finishes short. 84/100
“Toronto” Verdelho 2004 - Tropical fruits on the nose. Palate is short and bitter. 80/100
“Morisset” Semillon 2006 - Citrus, lemon. Medium acid on the palate, lacking structure. 85/100
“Morisset” Semillon 2001 - Toast, honey and lemon aromas. Palate has good weight and richness with a good core of acid. 88/100
“Morisset” Semillon 1998 - Honey and citrus peel. Medium richness and body. Not much depth or acid structure. Drink now. 86/100
“Fassifern” Merlot 2002 - Tobacco dominant nose. Bitter chocolate and strong tannins presence on the palate. 85/100
“Awaba” Shiraz 2000 - Nose is closed for business. Palate shows a touch more fruit but doesn’t seem to have all that much to say for itself. 85/100
Orange “Regional Range” Shiraz 2004 - Very spicy nose that carries across to the palate, very spicy and shows lots of acid. 84/100

Margan - Hunter Valley - http://www.margan.com.au/

Verdelho 2006 - Apple and lemon aromas. Palate has some good cleansing acid. Not bad at all. 87/100
Semillon 2006 - Aromas like lemon meringue and freshly baked apple pie! The acid is strong but focused. A nice wine with room for development. 88/100
Saignee Shiraz 2006 - Cherry and spice. Lick of fruit sweetness to the palate. There is a bit of flavour weight to it which I liked. 87/100
Merlot 2005 - Nose is pretty quiet, some dark fruits lurking. Structurally reasonable on the palate, decent flow and length. Lacking a bit of excitement though. 86/100
Shiraz 2005 - Savoury themed aromas with spice, earth, gravel and some red fruit as well. Palate is earthy and spicy. Good structure for aging over 5 years. Quality stuff. 90/100

Keith Tulloch - Hunter Valley - http://www.keithtullochwine.com.au/

Semillon 2006 - Pears and lemony nose. Really lovely balanced acid to the palate. Has potential to develop or be enjoyed now. 88/100
Chardonnay 2006 - Minerals and slate on the nose. Palate is very restrained, but is too simple. 85/100
Shiraz Viognier 2004 - Light floral hints on the nose are the only sign of the Viognier component. Palate is soft and slippery. 85/100
“Kester” Shiraz 2003 - Very reductive nose, some blackberries come through after determined swirling. Palate shows rasping tannin, quite unpleasant actually. Could have been in an awkward stage, but this was not looking good today. 81/100
Botrytis Semillon 2005 - Apricot and marmalade. Clean palate with medium sweetness and good balance. 87/100

Hungerford Hill - Hunter Valley - http://www.hungerfordhill.com.au

Verdelho 2006 - Crisp and dry palate with only very light aromas and flavour. 84/100
Semillon 2006 - Soft nose, not much happening. Palate has a touch of richness to it but not much else of interest. 85/100
“Fishcage” Chardonnay Viognier 2006 - Very apricot driven. Palate seems disjointed. Didn’t enjoy. 82/100
Rose 2007 - Strawberry nose. Softly sweet without anything very interesting. 84/100
“Fishcage” Shiraz Viognier 2005 - Spicy with some earthy notes. Not much Viognier evident except for a little floral lift. Palate is not all that interesting. 85/100
Shiraz 2005 - Blackberry and cherry nose. Spice on the savoury palate. Much better depth here. 88/100

Heathfield Ridge - Limestone Coast - http://www.tidswellwines.com.au

Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - Grass on the nose. Palate is crisp with ok length. Pretty unexciting. 85/100
Shiraz 2004 - Coconut and vanilla oak. Lots of spice to the palate. Medium length. 87/100
Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - Briar with some overly green notes. Palate is nicely textured but I can’t get over the greenness I’m afraid. 83/100
“Jennifer” Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 - Really nice aromas from the oak treatment with some spice, blackcurrant and cherry as well. Interesting palate with fine tannin and structure. I can’t get over how much I like the oak aromas and flavour on this, normally I wouldn’t but this is very good. 88/100

Gibson’s BarossaVale - Barossa Valley - http://www.gibsonwines.com.au

Shiraz 2004 - Lots of spice and pepper with some red berried fruit. Palate is well balanced and has good length. Very enjoyable. 89/100
“Wilfreda” 2005 - Shiraz 50%, Mourvedre 27%, Grenache 23%. Chocolate and spice. Interesting texture to the palate, lacks a little length. Good, but I didn’t enjoy as much as some previous vintages. 87/100
“Isabelle” 2004 - Merlot 57%, Cabernet Sauvignon 38%, Petit Verdot 5%. Large floral element to the nose with some chocolate, blueberry and plums in the background. Palate lacks interest and depth. 85/100
Merlot 2003 - Plums, cherry, spice and some smoke. A nice flavourful mouth-feel. Fine tannins. Good. 87/100
Eden Valley “Old Vines” Shiraz 2005 - Fantastic oak use. Chocolate, spice, florals and red berries. Palate is tightly coiled and concentrated, with good structure to age over the medium term. Excellent length. 91/100
McLaren Vale “Old Vines” Grenache 2004 - Cherry, leather and some five spice. The palate is massive in stature, flavours are intense and long. Good for its style, but not for those looking for elegance. 88/100
“Late Harvest” Semillon 2006 - Floral, with pears and apricots. Medium sweetness without much depth. 87/100

Devil’s Lair - Margaret River - http://www.devils-lair.com

Fifth Leg White Blend 2006 - Grassy and lemon driven nose. Palate is also grassy with a crisp finish. Not bad. 85/100
Fifth Leg Chardonnay 2006 - A light but clean nose. Palate is a contrast with some bold and round, rich flavours. Seems indecisive about what it wants to be. 84/100
Fifth Leg Rose 2006 - Cherries and strawberry. Palate is delicate and light. Fine for what it is. 84/100
Fifth Leg Red Blend 2005 - Spice and blackberries. Palate is a quite sweet and round. Didn’t find this easy to taste. 82/100
Chardonnay 2005 - A restrained nose and palate. Nicely handled oak. Length and depth of the palate are both good. Would like to see it with a couple of years of bottle age. 89/100
Cabernet Blend 2002 - Have tasted this three times now, didn’t like it the first time but the second seemed better. This bottle was along the lines of the second. Tobacco, blackcurrant and briary aromas. Palate is well integrated. Hopefully will continue to improve. 88/100