Another Cabernet Shiraz blend. Oh, I have been trying to secure some of the 2006 Rockford Rod & Spur Cab/Shiraz, because the single bottle taster I bought months ago was very good. But it’s sold out at the cellar door, so if you know of anyone selling it then please send me a quick email. TIA.

A dark colour. Quite a sweet nose, with mint leaves, blackberries, currants and some wild fruity characters. A medium weight palate, mint and red currants flowing through to toasty black fruits. Lovely balance and supple tannins, but is perhaps just a bit too minty and leafy for me, not that that stopped the bottle from being finished. Far too easy to drink, but loses the Sunday Cabernet Shiraz challenge on points to the 2005 Signature. 13.5% abv. 92 points. Sealed under cork. RRP in the mid $30s.

I am on a bit of a Cabernet Shiraz bender at the moment. And when I’m not drinking these, I am chasing Shiraz Cabernet blends. I got this and the Yalumba FDR1a 2006 on the weekend, and let them go toe-to-toe in the vineous equivalent of a boxing ring on a balmy Sunday afternoon.

An engaging nose: leaf and a touch of eucalypt, liquorice and a wealth of black fruits. The palate shows tremendous balance, lovely black fruits with a touch of eucalypt, chocolate, nuts, spice, vanilla and even a little sappy on occasions. Beautiful drying tannins, and great length. My first Signature for 6 years when I had a bottle of the 1998 vintage wine, and a very enjoyable surprise because I didn’t expect it to be so good. 13.5% abv. 93 points. Sealed under cork. Retails in the high $30s. Drink now to 2020, depending on your personal tastes. A six pack purchase for me, and I reckon will drink them over next 5 years.

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.

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 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 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.

I had this wine on the weekend. I have been otherwise drinking all the old Rhones from the cellar. This would not be mistaken as a wine from this region; it has Penfolds written all over it. A blend of 42% Shiraz, 30% Mourvedre and 28% Grenache. A pleasant nose showing cherries, black liquorice, and dry spices like cloves and nutmeg. The palate is little reserved at the moment, with cherry fruits, cloves and pepper, and a dry finish showing minerals and fruity stones. The dry finish persists, even with some time in the decanter; some some sweetness emerges on the palate. A very nice wine, but released a year too early; will probably rate better with time. Sealed under screwcap. 14.5% abv. RRP is $30, but is available for under $20. 88+ points

It’s that time of the year again, the time when Penfolds release their “Bin” range of wines. I have read that this is probably the pick of the new red wines, so I bought myself a bottle. I also bought singles of the Bin 128, Bin 138 and Bin 389, and will have look at these in the coming weeks. I would also like to try the Bin 23 Pinot Noir, but haven’t seen it around yet. Anyway, this wine was a vibrant dark red in colour. A solid nose, showing coffee beans and mocha, black olives and juicy red berries, spice, and with time, some milkyness and almonds. The palate is tight and savoury, even after 5 hours in a decanter, with berry fruits, hard dry spices, nutmeg and coffee dryness. Good length, though there is a little bit of heat on the finish, but only a touch. Still quite youthful – I would like to see this again in a couple of years. Bottled under screwcap. 14.5% abv. Currently $19.80 from Dan Murphys in a six bottle purchase, but expect to pay around $25 for it from other retailers. Drink 2012-2017+. 89 points.

A blend of 85% Shiraz and 15% Sangiovese. Consumed over 3 days and was one of those wines that got better and softened with time. In fact, I found it almost painful to drink on the first night, so most of it was consumed over the two succeeding days. A bulky nose, with rich red fruits, cola, plums, mulberries and spices; packed with fruits and flavours and goodness. The palate is also plummy, but also showed red cherry, black cherry, raspberries, peppery spices and acid. Tannins are ripe but big and plentiful. Should easily take a few years of cellaring.

Other vintages: 2007

Rated : 90 Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $19
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2012-2016
Source : Cellar Door
Website : Primo Estate

I have had this a couple of times in the past few months, and either the wine has settled and improved significantly in those intervening months, or is it just a cork variance. Either way, I think I have consumed both of these bottles too early. I reckon 8 years (or thereabouts) is a good ballpark figure to the start of its drinking window. A bright nose, lively fruits, plums, fruitcake, Christmas spices, cinnamon, with a touch of caramel and earth, and some varnish and spice. The palate is strongly flavoured, robust black fruits, plums, spices, earth, new leather, caramel and something not unlike stalk. Enjoyable now, and though there certainly is a lot to contemplate when swirling the wine, it should be better with another 5 years.

Other vintages: 2004

Rated : 92+ Points
Tasted : Sep09 and Dec09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $51
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2015+
Source : Cellar
Website : Rockford