Appellation Australia

De Iuliis - Hunter Valley - http://www.dewine.com.au

Semillon 2007 - Crisp apples on the nose. Palate is light on flavour and very strong on acid. Might be too early to tell, but wasn’t showing well at this early stage. 84/100
Verdelho 2007 - Lots of tinned pineapple aromas and some sulphur. Palate is round and fruity. 84/100
“Limited Release” Chardonnay 2006 - Honeyed with dominating toasty oak. Palate also shows this toast character. Good length, but I wish the fruit were a bit more prominent. 84/100
“Show Reserve” Shiraz 2005 - Earth, black pepper and smoke. Palate is savoury with some good depth of flavour and good length. 88/100
“Limited Relase” Shiraz 2005 - Reductive nose, some oak showing through. Palate is of high quality with great flavour, mouth-feel and structure. I wish the nose was better, will have to try to look at this again sometime. 87/100

d’Arenberg - Mclaren Vale - http://www.darenberg.com.au/

“Stump Jump” White 2006 - Grass and lime aromas. Soft palate that finishes very short. 83/100
“Dry Dam” Riesling 2006 - Very soft palate, no cut or drive. Boring. 84/100
“Olive Grove” Chardonnay 2006 - Buttery, toasty. Rounded mouth-feel. Not much going on. 85/100

Brokenwood - Hunter Valley - http://www.brokenwood.com.au/

Semillon 2006 - Lime and lemongrass aromas. Palate is very crisp and clean. Nice acid line. Will drink well over the next 5 years. 90/100
Shiraz 2005 - Described as “Baby Graveyard” (not quite sure if marketing has thought that one through), from young vines. Liquorice, pepper, cherry and kirsch. Savoury palate with tannins, acid and fruit in balance. Likely better with food. 88/100
“Mistress Block” Shiraz 2005 - Leathery and earthy. Savoury flavours carried onto the palate. Well balanced. Good depth and flavour. 88/100

Bethany - Barossa Valley - http://www.bethany.com.au/

Riesling 2006 - Muted nose, a touch of florals. Dry, clean and crisp palate. 86/100
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - Spice, pepper and pineapple to the nose. Palate is balanced, but otherwise unremarkable. 86/100
Chardonnay 2004 - Bold nose with toasty oak and butter. Palate carries on the same theme with rounded, rich flavour. Not really my style but may appeal more to others. 84/100
Grenache 2005 - Candied and cherry nose. Palate is surprisingly light bodied. Length and texture are both a bit lacking. 83/100
Shiraz Cabernet 2004 - Mint chocolate nose. Lacks intensity and flavour on the palate. 84/100
Shiraz 2003 - Spice and blueberry aromas. Medium palate, with the sweet fruit dominating a bit too much. 85/100
Cabernet Merlot 2004 - Extremely briary nose. Palate displays fine tannins. Good, but not very exciting. 86/100
“Family Reserve” Shiraz 2002 - Lots of coffee and chocolate with a bit of mint as well. Intensely flavoured palate. Drinking pretty well now. 87/100
“Steinbrusch” Riesling 2006 - Florals and lycees are prominent. Palate is softly sweet but may still need more acid and focus. Enjoyable anyway. 86/100
“Select Late Harvest” Riesling 2006 - Honey and more floral notes. Palate is sweet but there isn’t much depth and there is little structure. Okay for drinking now. 86/100

Bellarmine - Pemberton - http://www.bellarmine.com.au

Riesling “Dry” 2007 - Apples and citrus on the nose. Very fresh, bright mouthfeel. Medium length. Nice but lacks a little spark. 87/100
Riesling “Off-Dry” 2006 - Honey, stonefruit and spice on the nose. Palate is delicious with a lovely lick of sweetness. Very good. 89/100
Riesling “Auslese” 2007 - Lime, honey, spice and florals. Palate is sweet but has the acid to back it up. Very high quality wine. 90/100
Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - Grass and herbs on both the nose and palate. Palate lacks the freshness that I would have enjoyed. 85/100
“Bellarmino” Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2006 - A still version of the varieties often found together in sparkling wine. A touch of grass with lime, lemon and cherry to the nose. Nice carry on the palate. Interesting rather than spectacular. 87/100
Pinot Noir 2006 - Earth and stalk aromas. Palate is too soft and lacking in depth. 85/100
Shiraz 2005 - A little bit of tobacco and spice, with some smart oak integration. Palate also shows spice and a medium length. Worth another look. 87/100

Allandale - Hunter Valley - http://www.allandalewinery.com.au/

Semillon 2004 - Honey and toast on the nose, quite developed already. Palate has medium body and flavour with alright length. 86/100
Verdelho 2006 - Bold fruit aromas and flavours, but seems a little bit broad and lacking focus. 85/100
Chardonnay 2007 - Very fresh and lifted aromas with peach dominating. Rounded mouth-feel. 86/100
“Matthew” Shiraz Viognier 2006 - Lifted nose, the apricot from the Viognier only very faint. Medium bodied palate, quite softly textured. 86/100
“Anna” Semillon Sauvignon Blanc “Ice” Wine 2005 - Citrus and marmalade. Palate is too sweet, lacks acid and direction. 82/100

I have finally gotten around to writing up my quick impressions of over 100 wines from this event. I’ll be posting them two wineries at a time over the next couple of weeks.

A hastily arranged Friday night tasting at a friends house was taken to a higher level than expected with the opening of a newly released 1996 Krug.

2006 Bellarmine “Auslese” Riesling
Lemon, honey, spice and a whiff of kerosene on the nose. A lovely sweetness to the palate with good focussed acidity. Medium length. I would drink over the next couple of years.
88/100

1996 Krug Champagne
A multi-layered nose with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, ginger, apple, honey and fresh floral aromas - every exciting sniff of the glass revealing something new. Incredible intensity of flavour on the palate with remarkable acidity and balance. Extraordinary persistence and length, leaving its mark on both your palate and mind with each sip. Breathtaking even now at such a youthful age, I am certain it will be a legend with time.
99/100

2005 De Bortoli “Reserve” Chardonnay
Mealy with straw and some lees style aromas. Some rich flavour to the palate with good texture and nice balance between the richness of the fruit and elegant minerality.
88/100

1998 Domaine Bart Chambertin “Clos de Beze” Grand Cru:
A powerful nose of cherry, stalks, violets and earth and game character. The palate is approachable with fine tannins and chalky acidity. Medium length and reasonably interesting.
88/100

1988 Jaboulet “La Chapelle”
Corked.
NR/100

1991 Petaluma “Coonawarra” Red
Pine needles, tobacco, mint and ash form a not very appealing nose. The palate is hollow, lacking depth, body and structure. Very disappointing.
80/100

1990 Yalumba “The Reserve” Shiraz Cabernet
Blackberry, cassis, tobacco, vanilla and some leather rounding out the mostly primary aromas. Seamless medium bodied palate, no hard edges or any elements out of balance. Very fine tannin and excellent structure. A delightful wine with plenty of years left to develop.
92/100

1998 Peppertree “Reserve” Merlot
Raspberry, blueberry and plummy aromas. Palate has strong acid but other elements seem to be lacking. Didn’t really enjoy this wine based on this bottle. I’ve had the “Grand Reserve” Merlot from this producer and vintage before and thought it was great.
84/100

2005 Chateau Pato “D.J.P” Shiraz
“Fresh rubber hoses” was the quote from Danny and that summed it up pretty well. A little bit of mulberry and blackberry with time but the faulty rubber did not lift. Palate has some good spice and savoury character but there is also a kick of alcohol on the back palate. A shame as I had heard good things about this wine and producer.
78/100

2005 Meerea Park Terracotta Shiraz Viognier
Floral, briar, blackcurrant, leather and a citrus peel and apricot lift that gives away the presence of Viognier. The palate is fresh and vibrant with the bright fruit flavour a highlight. Slippery texture and with good length. A very “pretty” wine that I really enjoyed.
90/100

2001 Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese #8
Lots of aromas reminiscent of dessert on the nose with coconut, honey, oats, brown sugar and cookie dough. Intense, voluptuous sweetness that I personally found delicious but may be a bit too over the top for others. The deep sweetness did seem to be the sole focal point of the palate and I would have liked a little bit more texture and structure to be able to rate this higher.
90/100

Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 2006
A touch of smoke combined with citrus and oyster shells on the nose. Nice round mouthfeel without being too broad, the fruit richness carried along the length of the palate by a backing of minerally acid. Nice, easy drinking now and over the next 2 years. Not certain on price, but very likely under $30AUD.
87/100

Chateau Mont-Redon Cotes du Rhone 2004
A Grenache dominant blend with Mourvedre and Shiraz. An appealing spice, cherry, smoked meats and plummy nose. Palate is soft and has lots of sweet Grenache fruit. Some interest and acceptable value for around $25AUD a bottle.
87/100

Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru “Vaillons” 2005
Sea spray, peach, floral notes and some well woven oak in the background of the nose. The palate is long and the pure flavours build in the mouth toward the finish, giving an overall impression of vibrancy, purity and refined balance. Around the $50AUD mark and well worth a look.
90/100