Appellation Australia

Warraroong - Hunter Valley - http://www.warraroongestate.com.au

Semillon 2006 - Honey and toast aromas already at this young age. Very nice palate with good balance. Would probably drink over the short to medium term. 88/100
Semillon 2005 - Lemon, lime, floral - much more primary as expected. Palate is even better on this, good depth of fruit and very good structure. 90/100
Verdelho 2005 - Bright fruit that veers away from the usual tropical spectrum of Verdelho. Nice mouth-feel and importantly, has some great acid. Definitely the most impressive Verdelho I tried on the day. 88/100
Chardonnay 2005 - Clean nose with a touch of oak. Nice fruit sweetness to the palate without being broad. Good length. Drink over the next few years. 88/100
Chardonnay 2004 - Butter and toast. Rich palate that finishes cleanly. Very different style to the 2005. 86/100
Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc Blend 2006 - Grass and melon fruits on the nose. Easy drinking on the palate. 86/100
Shiraz 2002 - Spice, earth and cherry aromas. Palate is simple but easy and ready to drink without too much thought. 87/100

Virgin Hills - Macedon Ranges - http://www.virginhills.com.au

Really liked this booth for the mini-vertical of their only wine.

Virgin Hills 1998 - Tobacco, spice and dusty earth. Palate is of real interest, lots of layers, structure and depth. Great length. Hope to see this wine again sometime. 91/100
Virgin Hills 1999 - Sweaty sock nose. Palate is a bit disjointed and short. 81/100
Virgin Hills 2000 - Spearmint and red berries. The palate is clean, although a bit underwhelming. 86/100
Virgin Hills 2001 - Earth driven with meaty elements and blackcurrant. Strong tobacco influence on the palate. Pretty good I thought. 88/100
Virgin Hills 2002 - Cherry, blackcurrant and candied aromas. Individual palate of medium length and some long and intricate layers of flavour. Very good, although I hope the new owners can bring a bit more consistency to the vintages while retaining the interest factor. 90/100

Tulloch - Hunter Valley - http://www.tulloch.com.au/

Sparkling NV - Apple, cherry, lemon and yeasy. Clean palate with good acid. Nice. 86/100
Chardonnay 2006 - Light nose with hints of oak and citrus. Palate is round but not overly rich. 86/100
Verdelho 2006 - Citrus and pineapple. Palate is crisp and clean. Well made but not my thing. 85/100
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Very earthy. Good balance on the palate. Tannins are unobtrusive. 87/100
“Pokolbin Dry Red” 2005 - Nose is pretty tight but there is some earth and leather. Palate is medium bodied and there is some depth to the fruit. Has the structure for medium term aging. 88/100

Tower Estate - Hunter Valley - http://www.towerestatewines.com.au

Semillon 2005 - Very mealy on the nose. Good acid, but no depth to the fruit. Not impressed. 85/100
Verdelho 2006 - Tropical fruits. Soft, sweet palate. Fine, but I struggle to find much to like about this variety. 85/100
Chardonnay 2004 - Buttered toast nose. Rich, mouth-filling palate. A bit too over the top for me. 86/100
Shiraz 2004 - Dirty and metallic on both the nose and palate. Something has gone seriously wrong here. Avoid. 76/100

Thomas - Hunter Valley - http://www.thomaswines.com.au

“O.C” Semillon 2007 - Nice vibrancy to the nose with peach and other ripe stonefruit. Palate has a touch of grass to it, with good length. 88/100
“Braemore” Semillon 2007 - Lemon, lime, hay and slate. Palate has excellent focus and real drive along the line. Excellent length and the structure indicates this has loads of potential over the next 10 years. One of the best, if not the best Semillon from the show. 91/100
“Kiss” Shiraz 2005 - Earth, cherry, kirsch and spice notes to the nose. Palate has excellent savoury character with lots of layered spice. Excellent structure. A very classy wine that I was most impressed by. 91/100

St Hallett - Barossa Valley - http://www.sthallett.com.au

Eden Valley Riesling 2006 - Citrus nose. Medium body with enough acid to carry across the length. 87/100
“Poachers Blend” 2006 - Pineapple and other tropical fruit. Fresh, crisp palate but a bit too short. 85/100
Semillon 2003 - Grapefruit and oak characters. Creamy palate with medium body flavour. An interesting style of Semillon. 87/100
“Gamekeepers” Red Blend 2005 - Spice and meat on the nose. Palate is spicy and savoury. Drying tannins. 86/100
“GST” 2006 - Violets and red currangs. Smooth mouth-feel with a soft finish. 85/100
“Faith” Shiraz 2005 - Spice and blackberry nose. Palate seems to be lacking fruit vibrancy and depth. 85/100
“Blackwell” Shiraz 2005 - Coconut, blackberry, quite intense nose. Palate has similar strong intensity of flavour but it manages to stay in balance. Very good. 89/100

Seppelt Shiraz Masterclass - Grampians

“Victoria” Shiraz 2005 - Pepper, spice and a bit of blueberry. Palate is a bit less soft than the 2004 tried at the Seppelt stand, with some more spice, but still no depth or weight. 85/100
“Chalambar” Shiraz 2005 - Similar to the above, some more red fruit and oak emerging in the bigger glassware. Palate is the same. A very elegant style of Shiraz. 88/100
“Silverband” Shiraz 2005 - Pepper, smoked meat and some oak. Palate is spicy and has fine tannins. Nice length. 89/100
“Benno” Shiraz 2005 - Lots of oak, some black fruits and plums. Bold palate flavour, lots of tannin at this stage. Similar style to the ‘03 and ‘04 Bennos that I didn’t really like either. 87/100
“Mount Ida” Shiraz 2004 - Blood, chocolate, iodine and intense raspberry. Palate is intensely flavoured but there is balance between the rich fruit and the structure from oak, tannin and acid. Approachable now, but sure to get better over the medium term. 89/100
“St. Peters” 2004 - Savoury nose and palate. Spice, chocolate, violets and cedar. Very elegant palate, restrained and balanced with lovely length. Impeccably classy wine. 93/100

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