Archive for the ‘$20 to $50’ Category
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
I have had a few bottles of this wine over the year, and it continues to improve. It might even be peaking now, because I have seen some small drinking windows on it. Two or three years. All academic to me as my six remaining bottles will be lucky to see the end of the year. A bit of lift on the nose, with raspberries and old leather with a touch of sweet red confection. The palate is beautifully integrated, savoury and juicy, old raspberries, cherries, river stones, heaps of length and a dry finish. There is a lovely balance to the wine, and it is refreshingly low in alcohol. 12.5% abv. Retails in the low $20s I think. 88 points. Drink 2010-2012. Sourced from Eurocentric Wine, and even though the 2008 is sold out, I believe there is some from the highly regarded 2009 vintage still left. Maybe.
Posted in $20 to $50, Beaujolais, France, Gamay, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
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.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Mornington Peninsula, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
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.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Barossa Valley, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
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.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 20th, 2010
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.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Barossa Valley, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Not sure if this should be Benevelli Piero or Piero Benevelli (as it is on the label). Not sure if it matters either. Oh, 3 notes in 3 days…
A lovely nose, initially quite savoury, with restrained tar and roses, but fruitier than you would perhaps expect, also showing some red liquorice, black damp earth, cinnamon and only a touch of varnish. The palate showed cherries and an earthiness, with woody spices, cleansing acid, fine supporting tannins, all nicely balanced and approachable. Has the Nebbiolo characters you would expect but the tannins have been reined in, and there are fruity characters pushing through. Good length and excellent value at $30 from Boccaccio Cellars. Sealed under cork. 89 points. Drink 2010-2014
Posted in $20 to $50, Italy, Nebbiolo, Notes, Piedmont, Price, Varietal/Style | 6 Comments »
Saturday, August 14th, 2010
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.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Barossa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Sunday, July 11th, 2010
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.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Mornington Peninsula, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
I have been re-organising the cellar and found a lone bottle of this wine. 2000 was a difficult vintage in South Australia, wasn’t it? Or maybe that was just in the Barossa Valley. Anyway, I decided that this wine’s number was up. Oh, I should mention I also discovered a small enclave of 1996 and 2001 Magill Estate Shiraz – I am planning to cook something nice on the weekend and will crack a bottle or two. But I digress. With the wine swirling in the glass, I see it has a dull red colour, with perhaps a touch of bricking. On the nose, blackberries, milk chocolate, old pepper spices, a sweet confection, with a touch of earthy compost and smoke. The palate is still showing some fruit sweetness, with bouncy black and red fruits, blackberries and raspberries, leathery complexity and a touch of stalkiness; still brightly acidic. No hard or firm tannins; it seems pretty well integrated. Not a classic 389, but still enjoyable. 13.5% abv. 88 points. Drink now to 2014.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Barossa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Notes, Padthaway, Price, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
I have been re-organising the cellar and found 2 bottles of this wine. No ullage to speak of. Still a deep red in colour, with no sign of aging. An attractive nose, red currants and black olives, with some leaf, and an almost tapenade-like concentration and intensity. The palate showed some red fruits, tobacco leaf and quite a bit of tangy acid. Still has some firm tannins; could do with some more time and some softening. Drank better after 3 or 4 hours, but never terribly complex. Missed the last glass because my wife nicked it. Drink 2013+.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style, Yarra Valley | 4 Comments »