Appellation Australia

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.