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.
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.
Initially quite a delicate nose: red cherries and cranberries, some stalk and smoke and a touch of sap. With time it broadened and the cherry fruits seemed a bit liqueured. On the palate simple cherry fruits with some sappyness and a slightly soapy finish. Nice texture but very much a lighter style. Got a bit better with time but remained unconvincing. Now I have seen some glowing reviews of this wine, and I really did want to like more, but when the cold hard light of morning streamed through an unwashed Riedel glass, it was pretty boring. That said, given the marque, I will put this down to a poor bottle. Sealed under screwcap. $55 on purchase. 14.0% abv. Drink 2010-2014. 83? points.
Opened with very tempting aromas: juicy dark cherries, a touch of dried meat, vanilla, spice and hints of caramel. Very young indeed. The palate showed some rawness (not surprising for a one year old wine), with cherries, raspberries, minerals, musk and a dry finish. A touch of acid crept in at the end of the palate; though time in the glass knocked the edge off that, and some savoury notes appeared. My abiding memory is of a very good wine, quite tight, that needs a couple of years or a very good decant. A bargain when retailing in the mid $20s.
Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $25
Closure : Diam
Drink : 2011-2014
Source : Wine Emporium
Website : Kooyong
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
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
Another one straight off the truck. Fruit comes from Merricks Grove vineyard. Clone is MV6. Planted in 1996. The wine was tasted over two nights because it was locked up tight on the first, despite a four hour decant. You have been warned!
A soft red in colour, with a delicate nose, softly pressed cranberries and cherries, lovely florals reminiscent of the summer garden, a touch of musk and spice. The palate is gorgeous, a lightness with intensity, cherry fruits with a touch of undergrowth and dry spices. Savoury and exquisitely balanced. Tremendous length. Give it a big decant if you want to drink it now, or leave a couple of years.
Rated : 94 Points
Tasted : Jun09
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $55
Closure : Diam and Wax
Drink : 2011 – 2018
Source : Cellar Door
Website : William Downie
Not sure where this bottle came from, as I have no record of purchasing it. It is just one of those mysteries of the cellar that one comes to accept. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. This was a very good win, though not my best, which was a bottle of ’94 Penfolds Grange. Yes, I would have been a crap accountant. A gorgeous nose: beetroot earthiness and sweet cherry fruitiness. The palate is fruity but focused, still quite tight, some spices and tang, and only a touch of bitterness. Beautiful weight and a slightly sappy texture. Tip-top stuff.
Tasted : Apr09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $?
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009-2014
Source : Cellar
Website : Eldridge Estate
The Classic Release wines are produced only in years that outstanding parcels of fruit are available. They also seem to see a bit of extra oak too, but nothing the fruit cannot handle; it just takes it in its stride.
Rich red cherries and creamy oak, earth and clean freshly washed forest floor character. Rich and smooth on the palate, red cherries, cranberries, a bit of game and spice, complex and fine, bigger and richer than the standard pinot, with a bit of sap on the finish. Quite a classy wine, and though it is already four years old, I reckon it could do with a couple more. Almost went 94 on this; perhaps time will see it outperform expectations.
Rated : 91 Points
Tasted : Sep07
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $35
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009 – 2013
Source : Winery Sample