Cullen Chardonnay 2003
Aromas of nectarine,peach,grapefruit,cashew oak and lots of struck match. A very powerful intense palate with flavours of nectarine, citrus and grilled nuts. Lots of yeasty lees flavours but offset with a razor sharp acid backbone. Long and leesy on the finish. Powerful fruit (like so many 2003’s) and plenty of winemaking to go along with it. A bit less would be a bit more for my tastes. Top chardy though.
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 14%
Price : $55
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2011
Source : Retail
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Port Phillip Estate Shiraz 2004
A new label design, a big heavy burgundy bottle and closed with Diam. These 2004 releases certainly look the business.
Very intense purple. Aromas of crushed boysenberry/raspberry, chargrilled steak, pepper, spice , vanilla oak and some grassy characters. A medium bodied palate that is packed with pepper and spice and bright berry fruit. Some charry flavours here too. A goodly amount of grainy dry tannins certainly make their presence felt. A very spicy savoury finish. It still tastes young and quite primary at this stage but I think it has good potential. If you like lots of pepper and spice in your shiraz and perhaps a more European styling then this is well worth investigating.
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $32
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2006 - 2012
Source : Winery Sample
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Port Phillip Estate Pinot Noir 2004
A new label design, a big heavy burgundy bottle and closed with Diam. These 2004 releases certainly look the business.
Fresh and fragrant with aromas of cherry, red berry, spice and a measure of vanilla oak. There is a light lemon smell too. On the palate a dry spicy wine with red fruit (leaning to the strawberry spectrum) and some smoky flavours. Slightly stalky grainy tannins. Warm but in balance. Dry finish. An attractive medium bodied varietal pinot that should improve with a bit more time in the bottle.
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 14%
Price : $32
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2006 - 2010
Source : Winery Sample
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Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me.
Winorama was 3 months old last Saturday. Considering there were only 2 posts in October that makes the current monthly tasting note average quite high. Can we maintain this dangerous pace? I certainly like to think so and with the addition of Lincoln to the team we have upped the run rate quite considerably. We should crack the ton this week. Hooray.
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Marius Single Vineyard Shiraz 2003
From a single vineyard in the McLaren Vale. I last tried this in May 2005 and it still looks a super wine. In fact, a better wine, because the reduced characters I saw previously no longer seem to be there and everything is slotting into place quite nicely.
Very dark colour. Aromas of chocolate, plum and blackberry with some licorice, charcoal and well measured vanilla/cedar oak. On the palate richly fruited with blackberry, plum and chocolate flavours. There is also an attractive subtle herb and savoury undercurrent which complements the sweet fruit very well. Tannins are fine and ripe and although the wine weighs in at 15% alcohol you don’t notice any heat - just some gentle warmth. Dark chocolate and herb finish of good length. The vineyard has delivered the goods in a less than perfect vintage. A work mate has just ordered a case so I will snaffle a couple of bottles of this for the cellar with any luck.
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 15%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2010
Source : Winery Sample
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Seppelt Salinger 2002
Salinger is one of the better Australian sparkling wines. A couple of years ago we got through a case of 93 magnums which were excellent. This wine does usually age very well and I tend to think it needs a few years to develop complexity and lose some hard edges.
Aromas of lemon, fresh bread and creamed honey. On the palate a rather vigorous foamy fizz. Not fine or elegant with presence mainly on the mid-palate. It has flavours of lemon and apple and a lemon biscuit aftertaste. Pretty good sparkling wine but missing the complexity and texture of a good NV champagne.
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : $25
Closure : Crownseal
Drink : 2006 - 2012+
Source : Winery Sample
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Mitchelton Print Shiraz 2002
This was a replacement for a corked bottle of 98 Print. Since the 99 vintage they have been using French oak. Big improvement in my book.
Very dark colour. Aromas of dark chocolate, plum pudding, dark cherry, vanilla and licorice. On the palate very rich chocolate and plum flavours leaning distinctly on the port side of things. There are some savoury leathery flavours too. Tannins are excellent. Very fine and very ripe with a good measure of acidity. A slight alcoholic glow and a long chocolaty finish.
In some ways this wine reminds me of the 2002 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz. Masses of fine ripe tannins but rather too porty overall. I lurched from really liking the this wine to thinking it was too dark and heavy and then back again. If you like rich chocolaty reds then this is an outstanding example. I’m so confused….
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $45
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2006 - 2012+
Source : Retail
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Hunter Bound
Off up to the Hunter Valley tomorrow night to taste pairs of 24 Semillons from the 2005 and 1999 vintages. Lord grant me the fortitude to taste 48 enamel stripping wines and still retain a full set of teeth. Most likely I will end up looking like I have been weaned on dill pickles…or have a face that looks like a half chewed wine gum. Something like that anyway.
Well it ended up being 56 wines….my teeth are still hurting. Some outstanding wines amongst them. Notes will most likely be written up in the next issue of Winefront Monthly.
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Lindemans Limestone Ridge 2001
Limestone Ridge is a great Australian wine and a great Australian blend - Shiraz and Cabernet. Perhaps it is starting to look a bit out of date these days though. The fruit is always top quality but the oak treatment leaves a bit to be desired…but do you mess with the style and risk losing the faithfull?
Aromas of blackberry, raspberry, pepper, dill and coconut. A medium to full bodied palate with flavours of berry, coconut oak and a flicker of licorice. Tannins are in balance but wrench a little bit on the finish. Certainly a nice drink but the price, much like the oak treatment, reflects a different era. A couple of years in the cellar and then drink up - enjoy the lovely fruit.
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $55
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2006 - 2009
Source : Winery Sample
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Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Leconfield are in good form at the moment. After an excellent 2002 this is an equally good followup. The weedy Cabernets from the previous few vintages seem to be a thing of the past.
Aromas of cassis, leaf, tobacco and lovely vanillin cedar oak. On the palate it is medium bodied and elegant with classic Cabernet dimensions. There again are the flavours of cassis, redcurrant and vanilla with loamy earthy overtones. The fruit quality is excellent and the tannins are grippy but fine grained.Dry savoury finish. Very much a Cabernet drinkers Cabernet. I imagine this will be an even better wine with a few years in the cellar to smooth out the edges.
Tasted : Jan06Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2012
Source : Retail
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Double Take
Next Double Take :
Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2005
