Appellation Australia

Lallier Grande Reserve Grand Cru NV
Earth and red berries. Brightly flavoured palate. Medium length. Very nice.
88/100

Drappier Cuvee Brut NV
Very lovely nose, lemon and apple pie. The palate is a big let down afterward, very light and apply. Lacking structure.
86/100

Drappier Millesime Exception 2000
Apples, yeast and bread. Bold palate, richly flavoured. Not very complex though.
87/100

Devaux Grand Reserve NV
Perfumed, appealing nose. Elegant body, medium length.
87/100

Devaux Cuvee D Millesime 1996
Bread, honey and apples on the nose. Good fruit richness and good length.
89/100

Devaux Cuvee D NV
Toast and citrus. Good depth of flavour but with the freshness to keep the wine enjoyable. Length was very good.
89/100

Salon 1996
Immediately obvious on the nose and palate that this is a couple of steps up. Layered, beguiling aromas of flowers, slate, citrus, spice and toast. The palate is without doubt, superb. The depth and complexity of flavour is almost overwhelming to the senses but the focus is equal to the task with some incredible structural acidity. Impeccable length. An exciting, magnificent wine now and I am certain it is destined to obtain legendary status in years to come.
97/100

Delamotte Brut NV
Clean, fresh, fruit driven. Refreshing palate.
86/100

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 1999
Cookie dough nose. Good focus on the palate.
87/100

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV
Refined nose with some vanilla and slate. Palate is quite enjoyable, with good length, balance and flavour.
88/100

Dampierre Audion de Dampierre Cuvee de Ambassadeurs NV
Lemon and biscuit aromas. Palate has a lot of pleasant fruit sweetness. Nice without standing out in any way.
86/100

Dampierre Audion de Dampierre Grand Vintage 1998
A bold, forward, complex nose. Palate is powerful but it still retains balance. Worth another look.
89/100

2006 Jasper Hill Riesling:
Smells great right after pouring with lifted florals, and lemon. Heavy in the mouth, touch bitter/phenolic on the back palate.
85/100

2007 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling:
Very smoky nose with some passionfruit. Medium body, lacking depth, acid and interest. Okay, but hard to get excited about.
86/100

2005 Faiveley Georges bourgogne blanc:
Peaches, smoke, lime and a little bit of caramel oak. Delicious palate - round with no hard edges, finishes clean and dry. Great value for money.
89/100

2005 Desaunay Bissey bourgogne rouge:
Cherry and some reductive sweaty aromas. Palate is also very cherry focused. Medium depth and length, some strong tannin to the finish. Good, not great.
86/100

2002 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin village:
Sappy, savoury meats, raspberry and perfumed nose. Delightful texture and excellent length. Really delicious and drinking very well now.
90/100

1987 Dominus cabernet sauvignon (Napa):
Earth, tobacco, eucalypt, gravel and cassis on the nose. Very elegant palate, medium length with very good balance and resolved tannin. Fully mature for my taste, with lots of complexity and interest.
92/100

2004 Chateau Lascombes:
A ripe nose, with blackcurrant, red berries, chocolate and plenty of cedar. The palate doesn’t carry the same ripeness, it is medium bodied and nicely restrained. Approachable at the moment, but will develop nicely over the medium term.
90/100

1998 Clos des Papes:
Spice, cherry, briary, some meat and blueberry. Savoury on the palate. Good length and carry. Could get better over the short to medium term.
90/100

1998 Janasse Cuvee Chaupin:
Musk lollies, liquorice, pepper and brown sugar. Good texture to the palate, some funky complexity maybe from some brett influence. Doesn’t hold back much, a dense flavour profile. Not really my thing but at least it had some interest to it.
88/100

2000 Yalumba FDR1A cabernet shiraz:
I was looking forward to this, based on some very positive reviews. Nose is swamped by vanilla oak - there are some blueberries and formic acid as well. Found very little character or depth to the palate, Mark described it well as “clumsy”. An immense let down.
83/100

1998 Muller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese:
Lovely nose - mango, guava, pineapple and a touch of kerosene. Superbly balanced palate, with excellent sweetness and just as good acid structure. Long and delicious. Will be drinking my remaining bottle sometime in the next 4-5 years.
95/100

Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Brut NV
Fresh and clean on the nose. Medium length palate, but lacks depth/interest.
85/100

Piper Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2000
Citrus driven nose. Decent balance, but again lacking in depth on the palate.
86/100

Piper Heidsieck Rose Sauvage NV
Lovely pink colour. Interesting cherry and earth aromas on the nose. Palate is a let down, it is way too sweet for my taste.
83/100

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV
Bread and apples. Rich mouthfeel with good flavour persistence. Nice.
87/100

Charles Heidsieck Vintage Rose 1999
Strawberries and cherry. The palate doesn’t show cohesion or anything of interest.
84/100

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995
Very complex nose. Rounded, rich mouthfeel but the acid brings it into line. Great length and a very classy wine.
91/100

Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee NV
Some kiwi fruit on the otherwise closed nose. Sweet and simple on the palate.
84/100

Bruno Paillard Brut Assemblage 1996
Funky, boot polish and violets. No structure to the palate. Very poor, hopefully an off bottle.
76/100

Bruno Paillard Rose Premiere Cuvee NV
Yeasty nose with some lemon and earth. Palate is disjointed with some sourness. Didn’t enjoy.
81/100