Archive for the ‘$20 to $50’ Category
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 »
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
This one slipped through the net; I don’t think it really is a cellaring wine. But it wasn’t undrinkable, so I am lucky. In the glass, there was some browning. A rustic nose, rough raspberries, stones, gravel and a touch of old socks. The palate showed red fruits, dried herbs, horse hair, brown sugar and red pencils. Some abrasion on the finish, and certainly better with food. Drink now. 13.5% abv. $25 on purchase. 81 points.
Posted in $20 to $50, Grenache, Notes, Price, Priorat, Spain, Varietal/Style | 6 Comments »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
The appellation of Ladoix takes its name from the village of Ladoix-Serrigny, and being situated near the hill of Corton, is neighbours the Corton and Aloxe-Corton appellations. There are some 1er cru Ladoix vineyards, but for the most part these are Villages wines. Like this one. A clear medium red in colour. Red berries and spice, underlying earthiness and a touch of elegance. Nice weight on the palate, cranberry and cherry fruits that brightened over time, with hints of spice, earth and leather. On the lighter side of medium bodied. Sealed under cork. 13% abv. RRP is around $35 I think, so a good value Burgundy if that’s what you’re after. Drink 2012-2016. 86 points.
Posted in $20 to $50, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
No bottle shot, and not really a tasting note either; more of a tasting vibe. My brother, having freshly turned 50 came over for a pizza extravaganza last night, and brought a bottle of this wine along. I provided a bottle of Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 1996, and though it was probably a touch fresher, the McAlister was by no means outclassed. A cabernet-ish nose, with some old curranty fruits, mushrooms, cedar and dry forest mulch. The palate was little dry, mushrooms and old leather, a touch of red currants, mellow and mature, and very easy drinking. Quite balanced and certainly ready to go, which is not surprising for a 17 year old wine. Sealed under cork. 12.5% abv. Probably around $25 on release. Drink now.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Gippsland, Merlot, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
I’ve had two bottles of this wine this week with fairly consistent results; the second was a smidge better, but only a smidge. Pleasant aromas of river stones and stewed berries, raspberries and black cherries, summery spices, moss and some leather. The palate also showed the raspberry and cherry fruits, with lovely spices and minerals, and some garrigue. Length was pretty good, but the finish was a little raspy and hot. 2003 was a stinking hot vintage, and I think it shows with the touch of heat. I don’t think time is a friend of this wine, and I will be drinking my remaining bottles as soon as possible. Sealed under cork. Was originally purchased for $46. Drink now. 14.5% abv. 87 points.
Posted in $20 to $50, France, Grenache, Notes, Price, Rhone, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
I popped into Stewarts Wine Co at the Barracks complex on Petrie Terrace on the weekend, and can recommend it for a good range of both local and imported wines, and for knowlegdeable and enthusiastic service. Anyway, this wine was pushed my way and I decided to give it a spin round the decanter on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Quite an intense and complex nose, showing dried meats, raspberry fruits, eucalyptus, milk chocolate, coconut and some spices. The palate is quite big at the moment, meaty and textured, with black plums, chocolate and cloves. Excellent length, impressive balance, concentration without any heat, and a lovely dry finish. Drink 2012-2017. 14.5% abv. Sealed under screwcap. RRP $46. 92 points.
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, McLaren Vale, Notes, Price, Tempranillo, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 1st, 2010
I am not sure of the blend for this wine because the back label says it is 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet, whereas the website says it is 70% Adelaide Hills Tempranillo and 30% Clare Valley Shiraz. On tasting I would lean towards to the latter, because I saw more plummy fruits than any Cabernet characters. But I could easily be wrong. A sweet nose, with plums and meat, milk chocolate and deep seated spices. The palate showed black fruits and cola, pastille sweetness, but also an odd chemical character. Soft and fluffy, and for me it really needed some savouryness and a bit more structure. Drink 2010-2014. Sealed under screwcap. 14% abv. RRP $25. 86 points
Posted in $20 to $50, Australia, Notes, Price, Tempranillo, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
Last bottle. Still a good red in colour. Red fruits and aromas from the barnyard, with raspberries and cinnamon, a touch of herbs and varnish. On the palate, raspberries and river stones, dried herbs and a bit of the farmyardy rusticity. Full flavoured with decent length, but there is some volatility on the finish. Went well with some goats’ cheese. Sealed under cork. 14.5% abv. Drink now. Was worth $27.29 from Europa Cellars many years ago. 83 points.
Posted in $20 to $50, France, Grenache, Notes, Price, Rhone, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
I got a few bottles of this wine from the Langton’s Wine Exchange in 2004 for $35 per bottle. Seemed like a good price at the time. I remember trying it when it arrived and it was a real bruiser of a wine: big fruit and big alcohol; it certainly wasn’t a wine to be challenged in single-hand combat. Well six years later some of the fruit has subsided, but the alcohol is still there, and lots of other aromas have evolved. Red fruits and dried herbs, but also a stinkiness, with cheese, farmyard aromas and an underlying tinnyness. The palate showed sweet fruits like mulberries, black cherries and black currants, with leather, minerals and earth, but there is also some varnish, tin and something like rotting compost. Good length, but that is probably a negative, because the sooner the taste is forgotten the better. Neither nose nor palate cleaned up with time. Barely drinkable with obvious faults, but there might be “good” bottles out there somewhere. Approach with caution. 15% abv. $35. Cork. 74 Points.
Posted in $20 to $50, France, Grenache, Notes, Price, Rhone, Varietal/Style | No Comments »