Hanging Rock Macedon Late Disgorged Cuvee VI ($110):
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Tomich Hill Gewurtztraminer 2006
I do like a gewurtztraminer. I would have thought it would have captured the imagination of the local wine drinker much more readily than stuff like pinot gris. Excellent with asian food too. Sommeliers that pepper their winelists with pinot gris want locking up in my opinion - and maybe forced to drink nothing but PG for a couple of years!
Aromas of musk sticks, lychee, rose petals, grapefruit and spice. On the palate a lighter bodied GT that is crisp and fresh but still packs in a good deal of flavour. This is dry, almost flinty, with delicate flavours of musk stick, apricot and lychee and has a finish that invites another slurp. Perfect for spicy asian or Chinese food. Most refreshing.
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 13.2%
Price : $17
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2008
Source : Winery Sample
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Tomich Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Another wine from Tomich Hill with a gewurtz and pinot gris to come. Interesting that they chose to bottle a sauvignon blanc in a riesling bottle and a pinot gris in a burgundy bottle!
Aromas of tropical fruit salad, pea, capsicum and spice but generally fruity rather than austere. On the palate plenty of juicy tropical fruit, snow pea and spice flavours. It is clean and fresh but lacks tightness on the palate. Easy to drink and pretty good value.
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 13%
Price : $16
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2007
Source : Winery Sample
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Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay 2005
Well I am hard at the pump now trying to knock out 1400 notes before the close of the new year…and seemingly the very prolific Lincoln has gone to ground! This, for the purposes of history, is note number 1398! I have three 2005 chardonnays to taste from the Brokenwood stable all hailing from different regions in Australia. Should be interesting.
Aromas of white peach, banana, nashi pear, a wisp of smoke and a good measure of malty vanillin oak. Touch of acetone. On the palate juicy nashi pear, banana, oatmeal and vanilla flavours. It is quite soft but still fresh and has a pleasant dry texture. Finishes with flavours of banana split!
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 14%
Price : $30
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2009
Source : Winery Sample
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Tower Estate Orange Merlot 2003
I think I have the price and alcohol correct here but I can’t be sure. I had a quick glass of this on Christmas night and scrawled down a few notes. I do remember liking the wine quite a lot. On another note another box of Tower Estate whites arrived recently and I it must contain one of the few examples of cork closed riesling and sauvignon blanc. Strange but true.
Aromas of berry, herbs, earth and compost. On the palate medium bodied with excellent texture. Nice silky tannins and flavours of berry, spice, herb and earth. It is pretty gamey but also a wine of some sophistication and interest.
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 14%
Price : $30
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2006 - 2010
Source : Winery Sample
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Tomich Hill Riesling 2006
Adelaide Hills riesling is a funny creature. More often than not I do like it. Maybe it tastes a bit more Alsatian than other Australian styles but that just may be the way they are making it.
Aromas of spiced apple, citrus, lemon blossom and spice. On the palate there are flavours of apple, orange and spice. It has squeeky acidity and a touch of phenolic weight. The acidity is a little sharp and angular but it is an interesting style and makes for a change of diet if you are a riesling enthusiast.
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 13%
Price : $16
Drink : 2006 - 2009
Source : Winery Sample
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Viña Pérez Cruz Reserva COT Limited Edition 2003
This wine has just a little carmenere to ease us into a range of wines from Chile that will feature on Winorama next month. The carmenere before the storm if you like. It is a blend of 91.2 % cot (malbec) 6.5 % merlot and 2.3 % carménère.
Strong dark purple. Aromas of concentrated berry, violets, spice, old rhubarb and elastoplast. A curious and engaging smell. On the palate full bodied and packed with berry, milk coffee, stewed fruit and some medicinal overtones. Plenty of fine grained dry tannins and a finish of stewed plum and coffee. Not one for the technocrats perhaps but it is still a very good wine.
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 14%
Price : $31.45
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2006 - 2012
Source : Importer Sample
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Gibbston Valley Pinot Gris 2006
I don’t particularily like pinot gris but I think that if you insist on making them then they should, at the very least, taste like pinot gris rather than pinot grigio. This one is certainly a weighty example packed with flavour and I think that Central Otago tends to do this style very well.
Aromas of ripe pear, pez candy and spice. On the palate full bodied and full throttle with intense pear, candy and spice flavours. Its slippery in texture with excellent mouthfeel although the alcohol does intrude slightly. Very long spicy finish. An excellent example of a style that will please many.
Tasted : Oct06Alcohol : 14.9%
Price : $22.95
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2009
Source : Winery Sample
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Champagne Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises 1988
This is a blanc de noir and comes from a small patch of pre-phylloxera vines that resisted, as the French so kindly put it, ‘The American louse’. It is very rare and very bloody expensive. It was with some trepidation that I opened this bottle and to my relief it made a pleasant sigh when the cork came out but after that it was all down hill. It was an alarming orange in colour and tasted like rancid old sherry and dirt. What an incredible shame. A backup of 1998 Dom Perignon came in from the reserve bench. We always open a great champagne on NYE as it also happens to be the anniversary of when JP and I started courting. That’s a doubly good reason to open top fizz in my book.
Alcohol : 12%
Price : $500
Drink : ? - ?
Source : Retail
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De Iuliis Charlie Shiraz 2005
The fruit for this wine comes from the Somerset vineyard, and while it is not estate fruit, I can tell you that particular piece of the Hunter grows outstanding shiraz. I have tramped round it and eaten the grapes. Actually it was just after spraying which may explain why I have been a little touched recently….
Aromas of red berry/cherry, smoke, sweaty saddle and cracked black pepper. Quite old school but still a good one (at least for me). On the palate light to medium bodied with red berry, cherry, earth, spice and peppery flavours. It is nice and fresh with loose knit tannins and plenty of charm. Long sweet fruited finish. A lovely savoury food friendly wine.
Tasted : Dec06Alcohol : 13.2%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2007 - 2015
Source : Winery Sample
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Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2005
