Tasting Notes - Hurley Vineyard Pinot Noir 2003 (Recommended)

3rd release off this young label from very young vines (planted in 2000). Well presented and well packaged wine but should be at $35.

Ripe, full nose. Just a fraction porty but this doesn't detract at all. Firm, dry mouthful. A bit in the dry red camp right now but some classy (and varietal) spicy fruits kick in late. This wine seems very young and gives a strong impression that there's some real potential for the wine to develop strongly over the next 2 years. Seemingly a bit pricey for a wine from 5 year old vines but looks the goods at this stage.

Tasting Notes - Annapurna Pinot Gris 2004 (Recommended)

Annapurna is a newish producer based near Mt Beauty in the Alpine Valley region. Lightly fruited nose with classy mineral notes. Grigio style in the mouth; more minerals and some chalk, quite dry. Quite true to variety and a significant step up on the 2003. Good value at $18.

Tasting Notes - Foggo Road Cinsault Sparkling NV

Despite being in the wine retailing game for 5 years now there's always something new to try....in this case a sparkling cinsault.Pours a big fizzy head but fades away to nothing in a nano second. Classic rose look. Palate wise a fairly dry style. Some generic red fruity notes fill out the middle palate but thins out in the back. Ultimately lacks body and stuffing.

Tasting Notes - Fox Gordon Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Ripe nose, a bit sugary. Not particularly varietal but then again it is Barossa cab. In the mouth pleasnt, ripe, friendly fruits. Some black currant emerges, again very ripe, a little heat with a touch of grainy sweetness.Pretty good wine, reasonably serious but not good value at $47.

Fox Gordon Hannah's Swing Shiraz 03 (recommended)

Another excellent first-up effort from this brand new producer. Good nose, quite deep and shows very good fruit pruity of berries and typical shiraz sweetness. Palate is a touch more restrained with the absence of overt fruity characters. More berries and plums, abundant ripeness and a welcome tinge of savoury tannins. Some grip in the back palate but still retains a velvet mouthfeel.

Tasting Notes - Massena 2003 Vintage (All Recommended)

This winery appears to be fast developing a rep as a producer of balanced and full flavoured reds that show remarkable consistency. A very easy combination to sell in retail land.....

Moonlight Run GSM + Cinsault 2003 $23
Medium blood red in the glass. Slightly unusual nose, tough to pick any defining characters, some licorice at best. A touch muted. Much bigger and stronger in the palate. Shows very good balance and hits all corners of the mouth. More licorice, plenty of ripeness drives a long finish. Never gets too sweet or broad; a classy wine from a less than perfect vintage.

11th Hour Shiraz 2003 $30
Faint nose, some vapour from the ripeness. Nice but not mind blowing. Super plush mouthful, and as per Dan's other work shows excellent balance. Never gets ahead of itself. Very ripe and fruit driven yet very in control, retaining class. I think this would show well against its much higher priced cousins from Torbreck. The best shiraz I have had for some time.

Barbera Dolcetto 2004 $21
Perfumed nose, nice floral notes, very clean and pure. Good mouthful, quite 'breezy' - true to type barbera. Acid levels keep the wine on its toes despite the 15% (absolutely not noticeable).

Tasting Notes - Hawker's Gate Shiraz 2002

Hawker's Gate is a brand new release / label from James Hastwell, whos family is behind the Hastwell & Lightfoot winery. Fruit is sourced from vines between 11 and 17 years of age.

Medium blood red in colour, lighter than one would typically expect from the grape. Nose is light bodied also, sweet berry fruits with plenty of lift and a light edge.Palate is better than the bouquet suggests. Nice medium weight with ripe berry fruits and plenty of humming acid that keeps the wine feeling very lively. Some tannin plays a supporting role. No oak impact to speak of. Good effort (first up I think?) from a young bloke.

Tasting Notes - Balnaves Cabernet Merlot 2001 (Recommended)

Tight nose, faint tabacco and berries. Seems young and very classy. Early confidence is well backed up in the palate; more berries, a touch of chocolate and quite prominant furry tannins. Should be reasonably long lived given it drinks like a mere babe at 4yrs...give it until at least mid 2006 before opening.

Tasting Notes - Foggo Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (Recommended)

Big nose, good depth of sweet fruits but I can't help but feel it's holding back a little. The addition of a touch of berry and aniseed speaks of McLaren Value quite clearly. Quite powerful mouthfeel, sugary notes, sweet berries and more classical regional licorice and aniseed. Tannins are reasonably fine but do a good job of coating the mouth. Needs time.

Mount Majura Chardonnay 2003

Bright yellow in the glass, looking decidely advanced for a 2003 from a cool region. A little vintage research reveals 2003 to be a early vintage for Canberra. Ripe nose with some oaky and peachy notes. Ok.Again quite ripe in the mouth. Oak notes settle as the upfront fruit kicks in. Probably borders on the tropical fruit style with some heat and acid kick at the back. Certainly well elegant and complex than the excellent 2002 but nevertheless shows appeal in the $20 market as a competent drink now style. Won't blow you away but good enough.

Tasting Notes - Wildcroft Pinot Noir 2000 (Recommended)

Sourced from 19 year old Mornington Peninsula vines, this wine was always going to be a source of interest for us at Cloudwine given Phillip Jones of Bass Phillip is credited with winemaking duties.

As expected signature appearance - dull and dirty blood red, murky and very unfiltered. Striking nose of intense spice and savoury fruits, screams of the Jones 'house' style. Challening palate, more spice, acid cut, savoury fruits, all delivered in a painfully intense manner. Very similar to the Jones' produced Drummond's pinots from Leongatha. Quite broad in the mouth and shows good length. I thought it was getting a touch loose and possible getting near the end of its useful life. Hasn't showed as well as other Jones wines of a similar age but this wine is full of interest, it's a dirty mutha and serves as a good example of what Mornington Pinot can do with a left field maker.

Tasting Notes - Teusner Avatar GSM 2003 (Recommended)

Another low oak Rhone blend from the extended Torbreck / Veritas family. Reminded me a lot of the 2003 Joshua with its infusion of absolutely uncomplicated fruit definition; very pure and clean. Finished with a lick of spice and aniseed and darker fruits. As expected oak was barely noticeable. The only problem was that the wine just seemed a bit subdued, the fruit didn't come out and grab me. Perhaps the limitations of the 2003 Barossa vintage? I don't know myself - haven't really drank enough to form an informed opinion. Memory suggests the 2003 Joshua was better (albeit drunk younger) and it will be very interesting to see how the 2004's from Teusner go.

Hackersley Merlot 2003 (Recommended)

This is the third vintage we have tried from this Geographe producer and it would appear that a strong track record is being built for merlot. Ripe nose, shows good richness but not overdone. Nice plums and blackberries, has excellent depth. Text book in the palate, more plums and berries, although a little more subdued than the nose would suggest. The structure makes up for this slight shortfall, silky smooth, low tannins and good length with a touch of grip. Some smoothing oak contributes nicely. One of the few straight merlots that is worth taking a look at.

Rating: Very Good +Value @ $24: Very Good

Tasting Notes - Kiltynane Estate Pinot Noir 2004

There was a quite a bit on anticipation on this wine given the absolute committment of winemaker Kate Kirkhope to biodynamic principals and a 'hang the cost' approach to viticulture and winemaking. Only 320 cases made from a 5yr old crop yielding just over 1kg per vine.

Vineyard is located in Tarrawarra (Yarra Valley).

Light garnet in the glass with good clarity. Orthodox nose of cherries and a touch of spice of spice. Palate gives mixed feelings; seemingly a little simple with dry berry fruits early but does gain some complexity as the wine opens up in the glass over time. The wine seems very young, quite tighly bound with some acid grip, but I almost confused this with under-ripe fruit (which may in any event play some role in the relatively light palate weight). Plays the 'middle road' style quite well in the Yarra style but realistically lacks some excitement. Needs to deliver a lot more at $38 pb but should get better with time.

Tasting Notes - Booths Taminick Cellars

A quick view of current releases....................Booths are venturing into the trade market for the first time in at least 5 years. All wines will be priced under $17 and in the main offer solid value.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 - Recommended
Modern medium bodied style. Sweet fruits and soft tannins....what's going on here? Not super serious but has some obvious appeal.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 - Recommended
Nearly identical to the 2002 but just a touch lighter. Flip side is the wine is a little more accessible.

Chardonnay 2004
Massive poached pears on the nose - very attractive. Falls away in the palate, with hard acid grip dominating any fruit flavours. Transforms into a generic dry white.

Premium Shiraz 2002
Rich, ripe nose. Some porty notes but not overdone. More of the same in the mouth. Sugary, some licorice, more dry port action. Not my kinda wine but will appeal to fans of the blockbuster style.