Tasting Notes - Bass Phillip Rose 2005 (Recommended)

Drunk over 2 nights, a rare event for rose and me, but the wine showed well on both occasions. Pale raspberry, looks almost dilutive. Nose was relatively tight on day 1 but showed enough of the 'house' style sour fruits and bitterness. Both characters much more pronouced 24hrs later.Firm palate early, undeniably pinot with sour cherry, stiff acid; quite powerful and very dry for the style. Palate weight faded a little near the end of the bottle but still impressive.

Tasting Notes - Paradigm Hill Riesling 2005 (Recommended)

Dry white style that is a little tough to pick as a riesling. Ripe tropical fruit on the nose, maybe like a sav blanc? Full palate, a little oily, almost Germanic in this regard. Up front, drink now style with a certain amount of appeal.

Tasting Notes - Peel Estate Chenin Blanc 2001 (Recommended)

Stinky nose, aged with orange peel like notes. Old world, rustic mouthfeel with dirty, funky fruit, good depth. Quirky, pongy - I like it but not for everybody.

Tasting Notes - Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (Recommended)

Return to form after a lacklustre 2004. Forceful nose of sweet cut grass and a hint of tropical fruit. Ripe palate, some heat at the finish but shows good balance and varietal fruit for the most part.

Tasting Notes - Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (Recommended)

Relatively tight style that shows some class. Big ripe nose, a fraction oily, perhaps a little over the top. More controlled in the palate but still ripe with generic tropical fruits. Needs a slight chill to show its best.

Tasting Notes - Annapurnna Estate Pinot Grigio 2005

Light gold , quite pale despite the young age. Medium weight nose, faint tropical fruits and a hint of chalk; varietal. Bigger mouthfeel than expected, some generic ripe tropical fruits early. Flavours dip away in the middle and the finish is relatively mild but a touch disjointed- seems dilute at first but a small wave of hot ripe fruits drives the finish.

Tasting Notes - Tuckers Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004 (Recommended)

Fruit is sourced from an East Gippsland vineyard but its not clear from the back label as to whether it’s the estate vineyard near Maffra? Regardless the fruit source seems quite solid. Garnet in colour with noticeable lightening at the rim….looks very unfiltered, a character I would rarely even notice. Nose shows lively character; funky sour cherry, gamey, but in a lifted perfumed way. The absolute opposite of dull aromatics. The intensity promised on the nose doesn’t fully translate to the palate but still quite impressive. Flavour is quite tight and linear with sharp sour berry notes, but the fruit does drift somewhat at the finish. Regardless a good wine and will show good value under $20.

Mont Redon Cotes du Rhone 2003 – Recommended

Region: Southern Rhone
Appelation: Cotes du Rhone
Producer: Chateau Mont-Redon (negociant)

Fruit is sourced from non-estate growers located in Roquemaure. Lightish blood red in the glass. Nose is fresh and quite lifted with cherry; quite fragrant. Palate continues the attractive lifted note. Darker berry fruits kick in, gets a little gamey, and the rich ripe notes of the Grenache come into play. Wine finishes quite broad and soft, save for a little heat on the back palate. This would compete well with any Aussie GSM in the high teens / low $20’s (paid $24).

Tasting Notes - Di Giorgio Cellar Door Visit

Brief thoughts from a visit at Xmas 2005........

Lucindale Chardonnay 2002
Fresh tropical fruit(y) style although flavours starting to get a little stale. Spicy finish.

Lucindale Merlot 2001 (Recommended)
Lively type with good fruit depth.

Emporio Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (Recommended)
Good drop - fruit sweetness with matched with low oak build.

Lucindale Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Sweet fruit style, a touch simple, but well maded.

Coonawarra Shiraz 2002
Soft style with gamey, woody notes. Drying out a touch.

Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Recommended)
Perfumed blackberry nose. Follows with similar profile in the palate. Powerful core of sweet fruit. Well made.

Francosco Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Gamey nose shows complexity. Full palate, fruit and oak driven, but some blackberry fruits lurk. Going well at near 7 years but not special enough to recommend at ~$40.

Tasting Notes - Ladbroke Grove Cellar Door Visit

Brief impressions from a cellar door visit at Xmas 2005...........

Riesling 2005 (Recommended)
Lime, citrus nose. Quite fresh. More of the same to taste but the structure doesn't have the bracing intensity of a Clare Valley (a good thing). Good drink now style.

Compadres Cabernet Merlot 2002
Rich, expressive, blackberry nose. More subdued in the mouth, quite tannic, finishes a touch hard. Tough to work out where this wine is going.

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Perfumed, plush milky nose, a touch gamey. Tight palate, a little grainy, subdued fruits, but very early days. Again tough to evaluate right now.

Flat Broke Lad Chardonnay 2004
Contains 3% semillon. Big tropical fruit and pineapples on the nose. Broadens out considerably on the palate and doesn't really get going.

Flat Broke Lad Chardonnay 2005
Contains 4% semillon. Similar in style to the 2004, just not my bag. Too broad and lacks intensity.

Township Shiraz 2002
Medium intensity on the nose, ok lift with savoury notes. Drying palate with tight fruits.

Reserve Shiraz 2002 (Recommended)
Lifted, assertive nose of generic berries. Oak aromas evident. Big and bold in the palate, liquered fruits, firming oak. Quite powerful.

Shiraz Viognier 2002
Gamey, funky aromas; good lift. Strong oak underpins but the fruit drives the structure. Drys out a touch on the finish.

Flat Broke Lad Shiraz Viognier 2003
Gamey, funky style done nicely. Some wood is apparent. Viognier component is quite obvious - drives a slippery palate structure. Pleasant drink but no world beater.

Flat Broke Lad Shiraz Viognier 2004 (Recommended)
Fruity nose, big, classic of the genre. Again soft, slippery palate. Very morish.

Tasting Notes - Balnaves Cellar Door

Brief notes from a visit to the cellar door just after Xmas in 2005........

Chardonnay 2003 (Recommended)
Classy style, as per usual, with plenty of fruit depth and all wine making tricks present.

Cheeky Red Rose 2005
Nice sweet style. Simple but very effective for the target market.

Cabernet Merlot 1997
Museum release only available at cellar door. Mature style, fruit is very settled, perhaps fading, but the palate is well structured.

Cabernet Merlot 2001 (Recommended)
Very good - spicy fruit and oak with powerful liquered fruits.