La Compagnie Rhodanienne 2009 Prestige Jean Berteau

Varieties: Syrah, Grenache and Mouvedre (split unknown)
Region: Cotes Du Rhone
Vintage: 2009
Colour: Solid purple
Alcohol: 13.0%
Bouquet: Surprisingly fruity, blackcurrant and redcurrant, with a hint of brambly wood
Flavour: While there is strong, plum jam in the initial palate, there is something a bit meaty (well cooked meat). Relatively straight forward with lovely, lingering tannins.
Points: 85 (3+6+11+7+7+50)

Notes:  $15.57 ~311 Kc. Tasted last November with pretty much the same response. Decent wine.

Larry Cherubino 2011 Mix Master (Well Mixed Red)

Varieties: Shiraz 34%, Grenache 33%, Mataro 16.5%, Viognier 16.5%
Region/GI: South West Australia, Great Southern, Franklin River
Vintage: 2011
Colour: Medium ruby red
Alcohol: 14.5%
Bouquet: Fruity, fresh berries (raspberry, mulberry, blueberry)
Flavour: Much heavier and chewier than the nose would suggest. Blueberry or even even plum jam-paste (povidla) with a hint of coffee and even hints of cardamon and cinnamon. Chewey with solid tannin and nice length. Points: 85 (3+7+11+7+7+50)

Notes:  $15 ~300 Kc. I am enjoying this on a rainy Saturday afternoon just after lunch. The flavour, mouth feel and length are delightful. A nice surprise.

Casa Santos Lima 2010 LAB

Varieties: Castelao 35%, Tinta Roriz 25%, Syrah 25%, Touriga Nacional 15%
Region: Lisboa
Vintage: 2010
Colour: Deep ruby red
Alcohol: 13.0%
Bouquet: Pleasant plum and blackcurrant. Straight fruit.
Flavour: Unusual as the mid-palate tobacco leaf is the main flavour one remembers from a taste, with the initial straight plum slipping through almost unnoticed. Almost no tannins. Quite ok but nothing interesting.
Points: 80 (3+6+9+6+6+50)

Notes:  At $10 (200 Kc) you get what you pay for. The etiquette is rather nice but the wine is somewhat dull. I think this wine is in the Tabak/Wine shop on Vodickova and is the cheapest Portuguese wine available there

Elderton 2009 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon

Varieties: Shiraz (64%) , Cabernet Sauvignon (36%)
Region: Barossa
Vintage: 2009
Colour: Purple to brown
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bouquet: Dehydrated plum, soaked, decaying wood
Flavour: Good fruit up front, more to lush plum with white pepper in the mid-palate. Tannins are small and rather short. This wine has a nice balance
Points: 82 (3+6+10+6+7+50)

Notes:  An $11 (220 Kc) wine which is good value. A very nice quaffer

Musella 2006 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso

Varieties: Corvina (70%) , Rondinella (20%) and Barbera (10%) - according to Amazon.co.uk 
Region: Valpolicella Superiore
Vintage: 2006
Colour: Ruby red
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bouquet: Very nice, restrained cigar box and tobacco leaf aromas
Flavour: Another savoury wine with cranberry and dried beef flavours. Very pleasant acidity and some cedary flavours in the mix as well. Wonderfully smooth. 
Points: 86 (3+7+12+7+7+50)

Notes:  I bought this a couple of years ago for about $30 (~600 Kc).

Cascina Arpatin 2009 Barbaresco

Variety: Nebbiolo
Region: Barbaresco
Vintage: 2009
Colour: Lighter-orange/red/copper
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bouquet: Very restrained nose. Possibly feint cherry.
Flavour: Rather bland. There was some spicey plum jam and some tannin. The highlight in the flavour profile was the acidity. It made me want to like the wine more but this was a single highlight in an otherwise very general wine experience
Points: 83 (3+5+11+7+7+50)

Notes: We should probably taste this alongside other Barbarescos available here. This one is $30 (~600 Kc) here.

Fattoria Di Montagliari 2001 Chianti Classico Riserva

Varieties: 80% Sangiovese with remainder made ip of Canailo, Malvasia and Trebbiano
Region: Chianti Classico
Vintage: 2011
Colour: Lighter-Ruby red with definite orange meniscus 
Alcohol: 13.0%
Bouquet: Sour cherry and very dry, crumbling clay earth. 

Flavour: Feint, partly dried cherries and dried herbs of oregano, thyme and rosemary gently throughout flavour profile. Some cedary flavours also present. Incredible length. After one hour and the use of an aerator the tannin was still huge but as we re-tasted later, it calmed to a magnificent, complex, brooding wine. Every sip a delight

Points: 91 (4+8+13+8+8+50)

Notes: This was the winner of our tasting. One of our group brought it back to Australia on returning from living in the UK (and luckily for us has a few bottles left). The producer sells this online for Eur22,- and with a minimum age of 9 years.

Ruffino 2011 Chianti

Varieties: Primarily Sangiovese plus some other local varieties
Region: Chianti
Vintage: 2011
Colour: Ruby red with an orange/pinky meniscus 
Alcohol: 13.0%
Bouquet: Sour cherry with an almost cocktail cherry smell, young cut twigs
Flavour: A bit plummy with savoury, dried herbs (oregano?) in the blend. Rather short in length and a quite simple
Points: 82 (3+6+11+6+6+50)
Notes: This was the loser of our tasting. Interestingly, K tasted the 2009 vintage here. Remarkably, here it costs $15 (~300 Kc) which is three times the price of it in the US!

Smith & Hooper 2006 Hundred of Joanna

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (36%) and Shiraz (10%)
Region: Limestone Coast, Wrattonbully
Vintage: 2006
Colour: Ruby red with a slight copper meniscus 
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bouquet: Mulberry and red-currant
Flavour: Fabulous dryness is what sticks out from a taste. There is a lingering taste of tobacco. The initial fruit is more toward red-currant and is carried through to the mid-palate. Some lovely cedary tones as well. A lovely drop.
Points: 87 (4+7+12+7+7+50)
Notes: I bought this a couple of years ago for $14 (~270 Kc). Some nice Cabernet blends for the weekend before some Italian wine later this week.

Forest Hill Vineyard 2009 Night Eyes Cabernet Merlot

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Region: South West Australia, Great Southern, Margaret River
Vintage: 2009
Colour: Ruby red with a copper meniscus 
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bouquet: Menthol, minty and red-currants
Flavour: A dollop of fruit to start, more towards blackcurrant with good drying tannins. Marginally more body than a straight Cab although to be fair, tasted blind I would guess 100% Cab. A good drop and lovely example of this style.
Points: 85 (4+6+11+7+7+50)
Notes: Just discovered that I tasted it last year here. Key difference is description of menthol in the nose which I noticed more this time rather than any apparent plum. A bargain wine.