July 4th, 2009
Last bottle from a six pack. Red currants, red berries, leather, gravel and a touch of horse hair. The palate was quite big and meaty, showing strong tannins with creamy red cherries and red currants, milk chocolate, cedar and minerally dryness. The tannins are still quite firm and chunky, not quite resolved, but I don’t think the wine is going to get any better from here, because with the fruit fading it is only going to get hollow and seem unbalanced. Regardless, quite satisfying to drink.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : May09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $45
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Cape Mentelle
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
July 3rd, 2009
A blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier. And with regard to the Viognier, that’s about 5% too much. A nose of plums and apricots, sweet florals and allsorts: quite an odd combination of confection with toasty notes, milk chocolate and apricot essence. The palate is creamy, with milk chocolate, red plums, confection, silky tannins and beautiful poise. A toasty finish. A very tough one to rate, because personally I would not buy it again and would not really choose to drink it. Your mileage might vary.
Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $49
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Spinifex
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Barossa Valley, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
July 2nd, 2009
A blend of Sangiovese and Colorino. The name means “the black one”, and refers not only to the deep dark colour of the wine, but also to how the old-timers in Tuscany like their red wine. A dark red in colour. The nose is elusive, and after 4 or 5 hours I was beginning to lose my patience, but I did note coffee beans, sarsaparilla root, sweaty leather saddles, red peppercorns, hard woody spices and old gruyere cheese. The palate needs some time to reveal itself, but when it did it showed liquered red cherries, black cherries and leathery earth with some savoury dryness. Not exactly Sangiovese as I was expecting it, but it is quite pleasant and certainly profited from some accompanying food. Oh, and the stinky edge was a touch distracting. Drink over the medium term.
Rated : 89 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $48
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Wine Emporium
Website : La Spinetta
Posted in $20 to $50, Italy, Notes, Price, Sangiovese, Tuscany, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
July 1st, 2009
I had this two weeks ago, and have only just got around to getting the camera out and taking a bottle shot. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot, 11% Shiraz and 8% Merlot. A clear red in colour, with quite a rustic nose, new leather, red cherries, dirty fruits and a touch of volatility. The palate is lightly bodied and a bit stinky, with cherries, leather, woody spices and a touch of the old gym socks. The fruit is ripe, but not overly so, and the finish nicely drying. Might be in a bit of a hole at the moment, and would certainly benefit from a decent decant.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 12.6%
Price : $42
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012+
Source : Cellar
Website : Lake’s Folly
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hunter Valley, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
June 30th, 2009
Behind the scenes at GrapeScott we, well I, monitor bits and bobs, and one thing I have looked at is what search items people use to get to this website. And from what I can see, it would seem that the most popular search terms are “penfolds”, “st”, and “henri”. I didn’t really expect this, not that I really had thought about what to expect. There you go.
Posted in Waffle | No Comments »
June 30th, 2009
I’m on a good run at the moment: lots of wines of excellent quality. This is another one. Barely any bead on it. The nose displayed an abundance of fruits: pear, stewed spiced apples, ginger, honeyed lemons, apricots and a touch of fig, all rounded and ripe. Now the palate, even though it showed a flurry of sweet fruits with a touch of fizz, it is not flabby: the lychees, ginger, oranges and lemons, are kept in line by some soft acidity. Balanced, and finishes with the lingering flavours of lychee and a touch of fruit tingle. Tremendous stuff.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 7%
Price : $22
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2010
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : Crittenden Wines
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Mornington Peninsula, Moscato, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
June 29th, 2009
The 200-acre Finca Valpiedra vineyard is located in the heart of the Rioja Alta, and has been owned by the Martínez Bujanda Family for more that two decades. This is my first encounter with the wine. Lots of stuff happening on the nose, and in no particular order, showed cream, milk chocolate, cherries, coffee beans, minerals and rust. The palate is beautifully textured with loads of finesse, creamy oak and red currants through the mid-palate, tangy pureed tomatoes and minerals. The tannins are excellent, and still a little grippy, which I quite liked. Tasty plus plus.
Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $60
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2013+
Source : Cellar
Website : Martínez Bujanda
Posted in $50 to $100, Notes, Price, Rioja, Spain | 6 Comments »
June 28th, 2009
Made by Geraldine McFaul, who has since left Stonier I believe. Cherry red. A cherry nose, with a touch of orange citrus, spices and lightly stewed strawberries, that later evolved into plums, musk and woodier spices. The palate is delicious and delicate, cherries, strawberries and clean earth, good length and with flavours that linger in the mouth. Mmmmm. Sour fruits and a touch of minerals on the finish. Positively irresistible after a couple of hours.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Jun07
Alcohol : 13.0%
Price : $25
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Stonier
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Mornington Peninsula, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 5 Comments »
June 27th, 2009
Again, a confected nose, with liquorice and caramel allsorts, cherry fruits, warm spices, blueberries and cinnamon. There are also sweet fruits on the palate, cuddly, with Christmas spices, and a warming finish. Pleasant tannins. Overnight it held its line, broadening a touch and softening. A nice wine.
Rated : 87 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $22
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2012
Source : Cellar
Website : Tim Adams
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Clare Valley, Grenache, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
June 26th, 2009
I last had this wine a couple of years ago; time to check it out again. Unfortunately I was a little too enthusiastic and have opened two bottles in a week. Both were excellent and the notes similar. Which is good, because this doesn’t always happen with screwcaps (or corks for that matter). A rich red in colour. Initially a bit stinky, but opened nicely to show black currants and black plums, a certain nuttiness and some vanilla. The palate is still big and rich, blackberries, berry compote, vanilla and a pleasing earthiness. The tannins are super, and length superb. One from the top shelf. Drink over the next 10 years.
Rated : 94 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $60
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2019
Source : Cellar
Website : Meerea Park
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Hunter Valley, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | No Comments »