Tasting Notes - Pizzini Chardonnary 2005 (Recommended)

What a surprise packet considering I would have paid no more than $15 at cellar door. Whilst King Valley is not noted for chardonnay (and probably no good reason why it shouldn't be) this wine plays very smart and classy. Some oak apparent on the nose and palate but the palate is good. Fruit is very solid and quite serious in the dry stonefruit / grapefruit mould. Drinks as well as any cheap Burg I've had recently.

New Releases - March

Arneis
Pizzini 2007 $23 (King Valley)

Chardonnay
Crittenden Estate 'Geppeto' 2006 $15 (King Valley)
Narkoojee 'Lily Grace' 2006 $21 (Gippsland)
Picardy 2006 $36 (Pemberton)

Gewurztraminer
Vinoptima Late Harvest 2004 $66 (Gisborne)

Grenache & Blends
Digger's Bluff 'Stray Dog' GSM 2005 $18 (Barossa Valley)

Moscato
Crittenden Estate 'Pinocchio' 2007 $18 (King Valley)
Michele Chiarlo 'Nivole 2006 375ml $23 (Piedmont, Italy)

Pinot Gris
Hoddles Creek 2007 $18 (Yarra Valley)

Pinot Noir
Mount Mary 2005 $129 (Yarra Valley)

Riesling
Torzi Matthews 'Frost Dodger' 2007 $20 (Eden Valley)

Sauvignon Blanc
Hoddles Creek 2007 $18 (Yarra Valley)
Maven 2007 $20 (Marlborough)
Te Awa 2006 $29 (Hawkes Bay)

Shiraz
Digger's Bluff 'Watch Dog' 2001 $36 (Barossa Valley)
Epsilon 2006 $21 (Barossa Valley)
Kaesler 'WOMS' 2006 $67 (Barossa Valley)
Magpie Estate 'The Sack' 2005 $24 (Barossa Valley)
Old Plains 'Power of One' 2005 $29 (Adelaide Plains)
Picardy 2005 $31 (Pemberton)
Ross Estate 2004 $17 (Barossa Valley)
Trevor Jones 'Wild Witch' 2004 $55 (Barossa Valley)

Sparkling White
Crittenden Estate 'Geppeto' NV $16 (King Valley)

Tempranillo
Bodegas Breton Lorinon 'Tinto Crianza' 2004 $25 (Rioja, Spain)
Epsilon 2006 $25 (Barossa Valley)
Telmo Rodriguez 'LZ' $26 (Rioja, Spain)

Zinfandel
Wood Park 'Reserve' 2005 $19 (King Valley)

Tasting Notes - Yarra Valley Showcase - Sauvignon Blanc

Overall
One of the best brackets of the 2 day session. All wines were quite serious styles that are clearly directed into the upmarket segment. Nice barrel and oak work on a number of these.

Punt Road 2007
Sourced from the Valley floor. Medium yellow in colour, not unlike the bracket of 2006 chardonnays. Nice green tinge as well. Nose showed nice balance; some sweetness, but held in check. Tight and tart early in the mouth; good acid, citrus flavours but more lemon than lime. Dry finish. Serious style but not overly punter friendly.

Oakridge 2007 (Recommended)
Very similar in appearance to the Punt Road. Sweet powerful fruit and oak dominate the nose. Some 'heat' in the aromas. Tart fruits provide some structure. No tropical fruits, rather mineral notes and subdued citrus. Long and linear, and again quite serious.

Yarra Burn 2007 (Recommended)
Includes 7% semillon. Appearance as per the previous 2 wines. Unique aromas of spice, garlic, sherbet. Perhaps some fish oil too? Very different but I like it. Same again to taste although the fruit profile is tight. Again, remarkable garlic and fish oil.

Debortoli 2006 (Recommended)
100% barrel fermented, lots of solids and working, 50% malo.
Darker yellow / gold. Oak very apparent to smell; quite lifted and deep scented, dominates perhaps but provides for a refreshing change. Palate shows the oak again but matches quite well with tight fruits that get progressive sweeter. A bit ITT for mine but has appeal and is memorable. Big points for the style.

Dominique Portet 2007
As expected a more mainstream style with hints of tropical fruits early before giving way to lime and talcum powder; zingy feel. Fruit quite subdued to taste; maybe some low oak or barrel ferment taking an edge off the fruit. Slightly hard, liqueured finish. Nearly but not quite.

Shelmedine 2006 (Recommended)
Sourced from a mature Woori Yallock vineyard planted in 1985. Darker in colour, not unlike the Debortoli. Nose is very un-yielding and gives me nothing to work with. Good structure; sweet fruits early, oak hints; palate then builds nicely although the fruit never strays from the 'simple' mode. Some noticeable acid on the finish.

PHI 2006
Subdued, mild oaky character on the nose; seems appropriate. Some sweetness drives appeal. Tight lemons to taste; a little sour; some acid burn. Oak remains medium strength but doesn't really sit well with the sour fruits.

Gembrook Hill 2006 (Recommended)
This could be Victoria's best savvy based on the last 3 or 4 vintages. 50% barrel ferment and 9 months on lees. As crazy as it sounds this was in some ways the most mainstream of the bracket. Mild sweet gooseberry, kinda like warmer / Margaret River climate fruits. Nevertheless good presence. Same again to taste; some Kiwi style, tropical fruit at the edges, and some acid to drive the finish.

Tasting Notes - Yarra Valley Showcase - Pinot Noir

Overall
A very good bracket. Most wines were well structured and will age well. The difference in style interpretation was a nice touch.

As a quick aside I thought most makers were having a faink-dinkum stap at making styles that would compete well internationally. These winemakers are a very determined and articulate bunch, and thankfully don't have the smugness sometimes exhibited in the Barossa Valley.

Punch 2005 (Recommended)

Sourced from 18 yera old vines. Medium red hue with a darker centre and some lightening at the rim. Bright cherry fruits and firming sour edges to smell; gets progressively more serious and has good presence. Fruits are tight to taste although the core is sweet. A little overcome with acid at this stage; good length; simple but will clearly improve.

Yering Station Reserve 2005 (Recommended)

Very low yielding at 1.5tn / acre. Only 5000 litres made.
Subdued fruits. stinky underlay, funky; nice mineral edge. Structured palate, well contained fruits; long, plenty of acid and minerals. Spicy oak and more funk. Will be very very good in time.

Giant Steps 'Tarraford' 2005 (Recommended)

I picked this as the Martinborough ring-in. Free flowing aromas of red fruits and cherries; very clear and well-defined. In that sense not un-like a clean-cut Central Otago with its broad aromatic lift. Some again in the mouth with spicy oak and acid; ok length; fruit is subdued but I have faith here.

Debortoli 2006

Sourced from the home blocks at Dixon's Creek (80% organically managed).
Dark blood red in colour with no lightening. Lifted sweet red fruits on the nose, not particularly varietal (at least early) but the cherry and rhubarb kicks in late. Very powerful. Dry and firm palate structure with some tannin and slightly prickly acid. Lacks a bit of interest right now and again needs time.

Tarrawarra 'Reserve' 2006

40% sourced from 21yr old vines, the remainder 12yrs. A tad lighter in colour than the rest of the line-up. Nose has some interest; smokey, a bit meaty, a bit minerally. Firm flavours with a core of sweeter confectionary fruits. Thickens in the finish with a layer of funk.

St Huberts Pinot Noir 2006

Sourced from 20yr old vines.
Soft red fruits to smell; minerally and tangy as well. Quite nervy, like a jumping nervous kid. Thick ripe palate and liquered red fruits; quite pleasant. Actually quite powerful, albeit simple, but should handle some cellaring.

Tarrawarra 'Tin Cows' 2006

Younger vines of 8 - 12yrs.
Dark blood red core with some minor fade at the rim. Funky barnyard touches in the aromas, some spice, racy, a big tangy fruit. Chalk and minerals drive the flavours; tight, some bitterness. Acid drives a finish.

Oakridge 2006

Single vineyard, 100% whole bunch fermentation.
Similar in appearance to the Tin Cows. Settled red fruits on the nose along with mint and cherry. Very pleasant. Minerals and acid to taste; zingy, lively, not much obvious fruit and consequently no immediate appeal.

PHI 2006

Sourced from 22yr old vines.
Very dark blood red runs right through the colour spectrum. Friendly and open cherry fruits drive the aromas, vaguely Central Otago or Oregon; subtle yet has some depth. Simple palate of dry red fruits underpinned with chalk and lively acid. Again very good but just fails to excite.

Sheldermine 2006

Nice nose; soft red fruits, hints of banyard, zingy, well balanced. Slightly hard acids drive the palate early before making way for a softly fruited mouthfeel. Perhaps a bit '2' dimensional?

Yarra Burn 'Bastard Hill' 2006 (Recommended)

Only 1,800 bottles made.
Another softly structured Central Otago lookalike. Very complete and balanced with great underpinning sour fruits. Some acid prickle in the mid-palate. Very young. One of the very few big company wines I would actually consider purchasing for my own account.

Escarpement 2006 (Recommended)

The Martinborough ring-in. Quiet dark in colour. Funk, marzipan, cherries on the nose; heaps of immediate appeal. Very similar in the taste department but the fruit clearly steps up a notch or 2. Good length and very young.

Tasting Notes - Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 1996 (Recommended)

Finally, a 1996 vintage Bin series that gets near the hype of the vintage year. Very solid and balanced 12 year old, and particularly so in the context of a $14 wine upon release. Light and fragrant berry and cherry fruits on the nose, overlayed with what I'd describe as a talcum powder character. Really nice lift, and belies its age. Light again to taste but very alive. Light berry fruits early but the palate really gets carried by zingy / buzzy acid before a late kick of dark berries and perhaps a lick of oak. Defines 'balance.' Drink over 2008 and early 2009.

Tasting Notes - Maison Leroy Bourgogne Blanc 1999 (Recommended)

Region: Burgundy
Appelation: Bourgogne AOC

This wine clearly demonstrates why Leroy is so highly regarded. A simple Bourgogne chardonnay, at least by label, but this wine is positively singing at 9 years of age. Incredibly youthful in appearance; light clear gold, honestly looks like a 2005. Nose shows matchstick and slightly charry oak, and an underlying vibe of power. Palate is super balanced and shows just a hint of thickness. Some citrus fruits fruits early give way to more typical Meursault richness and oak. Good length.

Tasting Notes - Bass Phillip Estate Pinot Noir 2002 (Recommended)

I had a drinking window on this of 2009 and 2012 and based on this tasting I'd say future consumption to be directed towards the 2012 window. Classic old world nose of blood and iron, minerals, a sliver of cherry and a noticeable oak component. Palate is much firmer despite 30 minutes decanting. Tight cherry and red berries, more iron, some lift from the acid mid-palate. Finish is driven by oak but not a bad thing as it certaintly lends some structure. Very young at 6 years and would look better in 3 - 4. Goes someway to confirming the status (and sometimes hype) of Bass Phillip.

Tasting Notes - Deviation Road Pinot Gris 2007

There are lots of good Pinot Gris wines around at the moment. This one had a nice, lifted nose of ripe pears and musk. The palate was just a touch oily ( I'd have liked to have seen a bit more viscosity) forward flavours of lemon and apple with quite fresh acidity made this wine slighty tart on the finish. It is a pleasant enough wine but as I said there is a fair bit of competition around at the moment.

Tasting Notes - Deviation Road Chardonnay 2006 (recommended)

Mmm - my kind of Chardonnay. Pale lemon colour. This wine had a fresh, lively aroma of nectarine, citrus and vanilla. The palate weight was light to medium with a silky smooth texture. The wine has only seen a touch of oak influence but it has way more complexity than your typical unoaked Chardonnay. Clean, pure fruit flavours, nectarine and melon with some nougat and yeasty flavours at the back of the palate. Very interesting, very Adelaide Hills and very drinkable! Would retail for around $20

Tasting Notes - The Cups Estate Pinot Noir 2005

A very different wine from the 2004 I tasted from the same producer. Opaque colour, a spicy, peppery nose. A medium bodied palate with good acidity levels. I tasted some stewed rhubarb fruit but savoury flavours dominated the palate, particularly white pepper with some cedary oak on the finish and a second hit of pepper as an aftertaste. I was undecided if I liked this or not and whether it was varietal enough for me.

Tasting Notes - The Cups Estate Silver Dune 2004

On first inspection this wine looked great. It had great depth of colour, a great 'pinot' nose, all earthy and forest floor, the palate was weighty for a pinot and delivered sweet berry and cherry fruit, some smoky bacon and sweet spice with soft tannins. And the long lingering finish made me get quite excited about it. However an hour later I poured myself another glass and the wine had gone. It had become Porty and astringent and tasted like it had past its prime or had been 'cooked' at some stage. Not sure if it was faulty or just coming to the end of its shelf life.