My sister was down from the Sunshine Coast this weekend for the Bridge to Brisbane 10k run, so her husband brought this to have with last night’s meal.
A lifted nose, blackberries and warm spices, cloves, dusty oak and black pepper. On the palate, glossy black fruits, slippery plums, star anise, with spice and some sweetness on the finish. Medium weight with lovely silky tannins. Drink over the medium term, now to 2015. RRP $30. Sealed under screwcap. 14.5% abv. 91 points.
One of the three single vineyard wines offered by this Mornington Peninsula producer. A lovely nose. Cherries, spice, minerals, lightly stewed rhubarb and just a whiff of the camp fire. A similarly impressive palate, fruit driven with a touch of minerals and earth, tangy and perhaps a little sweet. Youthful but displaying lovely texture and great length. This was my second bottle of this wine in the past few months; the first had a bit of a soapy finish, but this one was fine. Sealed under screwcap. 13.5% abv. RRP $70. Drink 2010-2015. 92 points based upon this bottle.
Some assessments are easier than others. This one went like this. Half the bottle on Sunday night. A quarter last night. And the remainder now. The wine was left on the sideboard and not refrigerated, or vac-u-vined, or anything else. Just left there, and it is amazing how it didn’t really suffer for it.
A vivid purple/red colour. An engaging nose, showing blackberries, cinnamon, coffee beans, plums, vanilla and some creamy oak. The palate was initially quite disappointing because even though it showed some intense black fruits with toasty notes, it suffered a triumvirate of faults: thin, narrow (across the palate) and hot. And this was the main reason it was left for a further two days. I mean, you could easily drink it but if you focused on it you could see all its problems. Anyway, the palate has now broadened with blackcurrants, spice and mocha, and the heat is not as obvious, but the fruits still don’t have a lot of depth and remain unconvincing. Perhaps some cellaring will see it present better, especially since 2008 was generally a good vintage in the Barossa, but I would go small; 3 bottles max. $35 RRP, but I got a bottle for $24.90 from Dans. Sealed under cork (!). Drink 2015+. 85 points.
A long week and I am tired; but here we go. I bought a couple of bottles of this two weeks ago, and I really liked the first bottle. Anyway, I procrastinated and when I went back to buy some more it was all gone. So I tried a couple of other sources, but ended up going to the dark side to procure a six pack. $35 per bottle. Still not a bad investment.
A dense nose, black fruits and olives, with notes of chocolate, vanilla and cream. The palate is fine, firm tannins with balanced fruits, neither Cabernet nor Shiraz dominating (apparently two thirds of the former and one third of the latter), chock full of silky black fruits, tapenade, nutmeg, a touch of leaf (or is that just me just expecting that of a Coonawarra Cabernet). A lovely blend – I am glad to have a few bottles in the cellar. Fingers crossed it will age well. 13.5% abv. Drink 2013-2023. 93 points.
A blend of 52% Shiraz, 24% Grenache and 24% Mourvédre, vinified separately in open fermenters and subsequently aged in both hogsheads and larger format French oak for approximately 18 months. Sealed under screwcap and 14.5% abv. Apparently. $22.50 from the cellar door, and a snip over $20 if you buy a case.
A spicy nose, red plums, blackcurrants, Asian spices (a bit of old black pepper and five spice) and an odd floral element, almost like stalks. The palate is supple, spiced plums, clean earth, blackcurrants, sweetish and juicy, and a little bit slippery. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were more than the stated alcohol. 88 points. Drink now to 2018, but I would personally leave it a year before trying another bottle.
I am slowly finishing off all my Tahbilks. Very slowly. I think I like the idea of them more than the actual drinking. You know, the old skool label, the tradition, low-ish alcohol levels, no fancy oak treatments, no silly names like the Swamp Frog Cabernet, or the Masked Egret Shiraz. All that kind of stuff. Though apparently with the recent releases there have been some changes and the wines themselves are crackers, so perhaps I should re-assess. This one was consumed over 2 nights. Initially, a nose showing bacon fat, eucalypt, savoury cherry and plummy fruits, followed by a truly weird palate: raspberries and an intense confection like those old Allens Redskin sticks I used to scoff waiting for the 160 bus to take me home after school. Also showed quite a bit of acid, and certainly looked a lot better with food. Much in the same way a Beaujolais does. After a while it cleaned up a bit, showing black cherries, mint and eucalypt with a lick of liquorice, but it still had that confected edge. 85 points is about right I think. 13.0% abv. Sealed under cork. Drink now, but should hold a while.
I went to The Wine Emporium yesterday to collect some Barolo, as well as the new Crittenden Spanish offerings, and a bottle of this wine. I have enjoyed Bindi wines in the past, and this was also very enjoyable. Pleasantly spiced red fruits, cherries, a touch of rhubarb and tomato flesh, brown sugar and spice. The palate is fresh and fleshy, cherry fruits and spice, relatively simple at the moment, but presenting good flavours. Sealed under Diam. $55. 87+ points. Drink 2012-2016.
Nothing positive to report here. And I think at the moment it does need a bit of a decant to dissipate some of the more alpine characters. On the nose, pine needles, red berries, plums and red currants followed by some spearmint, and with time, malt and more pine needles. The palate shows some red fruits and liquorice, but is dominated by pine needles and mint. Reasonable fruit flavours and nice acid, but accompanied by the pine refresher goodness. Maybe I am getting more critical, or perhaps I’m losing my marbles (which is a strange expression really), but I think this wine is just tolerable. Sealed under cork. 14.5% abv. 83 points.
The diam was half soaked through, and was quite loose in the neck of the bottle. Quite a pleasant nose on the wine, starting with rhubarb, beetroot, earth and bark, and then developing some cherry fruits and perfume, with cream and nuts. Quite nice; the palate however was very disappointing: very dry, with hints of red fruits and spice, but the length was short and the finish bitter. Bleech. 78 points. 13.0% abv. Sealed under Diam. Drink only if you have to.
I must say I was pleased to get a sample of this wine recently; it is one of my favourite styles of Shiraz and a tremendous producer. A deep red/purple in colour. A luscious nose, offering red currants, raspberries, cinnamon, peppercorns and some creaminess; nuanced and layered. The palate is similarly impressive, red fruited with a touch of dark plums and cherries, liquorice and a dash of spice; fine tannins, medium bodied and a lovely sense of balance and restraint. Excellent length, and should handle some cellaring. A six pack buy for me, budgetary constraints permitting. Winery sample, with a RRP of $85. 14.5% abv. Drink 2012-2017+. 95 points.