Trentham 2009 Nebbiolo

Variety: Nebbiolo
Region/G.I.: Big Rivers
Vintage: 2009
Colour:  More copper than red
Alcohol: 13.0%
Bouquet: Funky wet cow/ animal tones with hints of red currants
Flavour: Rather light in body with lovely, smokey and stewed fruit flavours with a little gentle tannins giving good length
Points: 86 (3+7+12+6+8+50)

Notes:  A surprise winner. I liked this a couple of years ago and kept a few bottles. It's cheap at $17 ~340 Kc in store and from a lesser known region which is more often known for mass produced wine. For the group and for me, it was the clear winner. We had the 2008 during K's visit and neither of us particularly liked that vintage.

Manfredi 2008 Patrizi Barolo

Variety: Nebbiolo
Region: Barolo DOCG
Vintage: 2008
Colour: Red with and orange hue
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bouquet: Wet leaves and sour cherry, twig bark freshly removed
Flavour: Fantastic tannins with a long, lingering, teeth coating finish. The initial fruit aspect is a little restrained and has some earth and mushroom flavours.
Points: 85 (3+5+12+8+7+50)

Notes:  Tasted last of our wines and aired for a couple of hours and initialled poured into a decanter. The tannins were wonderful. The restrained nose and first part of the taste did not sit well with the others. I rated it second overall and possibly was too harsh with the bouquet component of scoring. Here, it is almost $50 ~ 1,000 Kc. I cannot see how much it costs in Europe.

di Lusso 2004 Nebbiolo

Variety: Nebbiolo
Region/G.I.: Central Ranges, Mudgee
Vintage: 2004
Colour: Deeper copper red
Alcohol: 13.6%
Bouquet: Smell toward funky, wet cow. Very even in the nose
Flavour: Nice savoury flavours of drying herbs and some sour cherry. Nice remnants of tannin and nice acidity. Weakness is its shortness.
Points: 83 (3+7+11+5+7+50)

Notes:  This wine perplexed me as I really liked its acidity but marked it down heavily due to its shortness. The rest of the group rated it second best but not me. It retails for about $28 (2011 vintage) ~ 540 Kc. I have tasted some of their other wines and enjoyed them, particularly Barbera and we will head to Mudgee for a wine weekend later in the year.

Belebula 2006 Nebbiolo

Variety: Nebbiolo
Region/G.I.: Hunter Valley, Hunter, Pokolbin
Vintage: 2006
Colour:  Purple tinged with copper
Alcohol: 13.8%
Bouquet: Not much in the nose. The slightest bit cedary.
Flavour: Due to the bitterness of the wine, the fruit is hard to recognise. Rather short and underwhelming.
Points: 76 (3+5+9+5+4+50)

Notes:  The loser of our Nebbiolo tasting and not a good omen for our planned Hunter Valley weekend in September! Through the wine club it was $15.80 ~ 315 Kc and from the night we know there is better available

Wither Hills 2011 Sauvignon Hills

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough, NZ
Vintage: 2011
Colour: Pale yellow
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bouquet: Textbook Marlborough boysenberry and dry, grassy aromas 
Flavour: Yummy lemon fruit with minerality in the tail. Lovely acidity and evenly flavoured. Exactly what one expects.
Points: 84 (3+7+11+6+7+50)

Notes:  Free as part of an incorrect delivery. Retails for about $9 ~180Kc and it delivers in spades. Accompanied some risotto for dinner and looking forward to spring and summer for more of this.

St Hallet 2012 Riesling

Variety: Riesling
Region/G.I.: Barossa, Eden Valley
Vintage: 2012
Colour: Pale yellow
Alcohol: 11.5%
Bouquet: Lovely orange blossom and lemon
Flavour: Primarily lemon flavours with good crisp acidity. A punchy wine with a nice finish. 
Points: 84 (3+7+11+6+7+50)

Notes:  A $20~240 Kc wine purchased directly through the multinational producer at a heft discount. A lovely wine which was required when we enjoyed a risotto over the weekend.

Watershed Premium Wines 2009 Shiraz

I tasted this last August and my only change to the description related to the bouquet being predominately stewed prunes and plums, while the meat aroma I mentioned is better described as hints of raw meat. This is untypical Australian Shiraz for me.

Scoring as before: 86 (3+7+12+7+7+50)

Jackson Estate 2010 Vintage Widow Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Marlborough
Vintage: 2010
Colour: Medium ruby red
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bouquet: Elegant rotting twigs/bark and sour cherry and a hint of wet cow
Flavour: A surprisingly fuller mouth than expected, with abundant sour cherry and cedary flavours without them being overpowering. There are also drying, savoury but very mild tannins which have a touch of turmeric in there as well.
Points: 88 (4+7+12+7+8+50)

Notes:  ~$32.00 ~460 Kc (although only $NZ 28 in its homeland). I bought six of these for $23 as compensation for another Pinot that K. found online that was unavailable from this supplier. Will be interesting to see how these develops.

Savannah Estate 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region/G.I.: Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek
Vintage: 2008
Colour: Ruby red with slight orange meniscus
Alcohol: 14.9%
Bouquet: Slightly meaty with stewed plums and savoury aromas
Flavour: Complex flavours and very mellow. Dry herbs like oregano evenly throughout which end with drying tannins. The fruit which is more plummy than blackcurrant is present but not primary in the flavour profile. This is also something like a cooked meaty flavour as well. 
Points: 88 (3+8+12+8+7+50)

Notes:  ~$38.00 ~760 Kc. This was the clear winner of our Cab tasting and was given as a present to me a couple of years ago. It was surprising as the Coonawarra or Margaret River are meant to be the best regions for Cab in Australia.

Nugan Estate 2009 Alcira Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region/G.I.: Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Vintage: 2009
Colour: Deep ruby red
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bouquet: Intense plum and blackcurrant after giving it a good whirl
Flavour: Very smooth and with distinctive sweet fruit, blackcurrant flavours in the mid-palate. The even, lingering tannins round out the mouth flavours dominated by the fruit.
Points: 85 (3+7+11+7+7+50)

Notes:  ~$21 (~620 Kc). I rated this 2nd of our tasting. 

Eagle Vale 2005 Whispering Lake Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region/G.I.: South West Australia, Margaret River
Vintage: 2005
Colour: Medium ruby red
Alcohol: 14.0%
Bouquet: Raspberry, chewey lollies (candies) and lush blackcurrant
Flavour: Juicy blackcurrant and some greenish, grilled capsicum as part of the savoury flavours. Good body and light tannin. The savoury flavours are interesting and well integrated.
Points: 86 (3+8+11+7+7+50)

Notes:  ~$30.00 ~600 Kc.  I thought this was the second best of the Cabs tasted. Lovely, well rounded wine

Angove 2010 Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region/G.I.: Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Vintage: 2010
Colour: Bright ruby red
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bouquet: Standard blackcurrant
Flavour: Rather straightforward blackcurrant with not much complexity. Essentially blackcurrant fruit with nice tannins. Simple but good.
Points: 83 (3+7+11+6+6+50)

Notes:  ~$18.00 ~330 Kc. Other than the corked wine which was not graded, this finished last. Still ok.