Robert Oatley 2011 Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay
Region/G.I.: South West Australia, Margaret River
Vintage: 2011
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 12.5%
Colour: Pale yellow
Bouquet: Tropical aromas, just ripe mango (when it's still pretty firm) and a dash of vanilla

Flavour: Mid to full bodied with nice length. The flavour up front is vanilla and baked pear. Nice acidity and finish with the smallest amount of sourness keeping things tight at the end. 

Points: 85 (3+7+11+7+7+50)

Notes: Quite a nice mid-week quaffer from a well known producer. Sensibly priced at just under $15 (~280Kc)

 

Bodegas Martin Codax 2009 Musica en el camino

Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Rioja
Vintage: 2009
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.0%
Colour: Garnet
Bouquet: Sour cherry, bramble

Flavour: Rather short burst of fruit with some rosemary type flavours in the mix as well. Short and dry and not much to it

Points: 81 (3+6+10+6+6+50)

Notes: Cheap and cheerful ($15). Not much to it.

 

Rolf Binder Wines 2003 Veritas Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

 

 

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon  85%, Merlot 15%
Region/G.I.: Barossa, Barossa Valley
Vintage: 2003
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Colour: Deep purple to rich brown
Bouquet: Candied raspberry pieces, hints of sweet earth, coffee grind

Flavour: Very gentle, red plum skin, tannin fades and is almost exhausted. Complex with some thick, liquorice lining the back of the mouth. Yummy.

Points: 88 (4+7+12+7+8+50)

Notes: Bought this year for $23~430Kc. An excellent wine to enjoy with my friends staying with me

Cat amongst the pigeons 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Barossa
Vintage: 2013
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.0%
Colour: Deep purple
Bouquet: Very fruity, dense blackcurrant and plum with some cedar

Flavour: Good length and a nice, almost sweet tannin. Fruitier style according to the nose.

Points: 85 (3+7+11+7+7+50)

Notes: Quite a nice drop

 

Chalk Hill 2012 The Procrastinator

Varieties: Cabernet Franc  55%, Merlot 28%, Cabernet Sauvignon 17%
Region/G.I.: Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Vintage: 2012
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Colour: Deep purple
Bouquet: Redcurrant and blackcurrant in abundance with the smallest hint of liquorice and freshly cut twigs
Flavour: More redcurrant in taste. Even and smooth with gentle tannins. Light on the tongue but more delicate in flavour than nose would suggest

Points: 87 (3+7+12+7+8+50)

Notes: A thoroughly enjoyable, new world style of Bordeaux. $20~360Kc. Would be nice to see how it ages.

 

Rymill 2009 MC2

Varieties: (undefined split) Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Region/G.I.: Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Vintage: 2009
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.0%
Colour: Deep purple
Bouquet: Slightly dusty, stewed mulberry and blackcurrant

Flavour: Well integrated wine, the highlight of which is the extended gentle tannins which round out the wine. Fruit upfront according to the nose with some white pepper, bay leaf and rosemary flavours more pronounced in the mid palate. 

Points: 86 (3+7+12+7+7+50)

Notes: As I have company who appreciates Cab Sav we are working our way through some of the wines I've been saving to taste for a while. $16~300Kc.

 

Inniskillin 2004 Icewine

Variety: Vidal
Region: Okanagan Valley VQA
Vintage: 204
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 9.5%
Colour: Orange
Bouquet: honey, freshly cut white fig

Flavour: Toffee, burnt sugar, dried apricot and crystallised orange peel. Amazing complexity and great length.

Points: 94 (5+8+13+9+9+50)

Notes: This was an awesome wine. The complexity of flavour was extraordinary. Every drop had to be savoured. From V's collection

Pipers Brook 1999 Jansz Sparkling

Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
Region/G.I.: Tasmania
Vintage: 1999
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.0%
Colour: Straw yellow
Bouquet: Strong bottle age, very bready smell

Flavour: Dense, bready flavours of great length. Full mouth feel. Delicious.

Points: 88 (4+8+12+7+7+50)

Notes: A lovely example of aged sparkling. Difficult to compare against others as I've tasted so few. Provided by V.

 

Invivo Wines 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Vintage: 2013
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Colour: Yellow/green
Bouquet: Strong gooseberry, very pungent

Flavour: Crisp, pure and fresh. Very nice acidity

Points: 82 (3+7+10+6+6+50)

Notes: The scoring is probably harsh but given the others tasted, this was clearly the weakest

 

Calabria 2012 Private Bin Pinot Bianco

Variety: Pinot Blanc
Region/G.I.: Big Rivers, Riverina
Vintage: 2012
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.0%
Colour: Yellow/green
Bouquet: Excellent honey-due (white) melon

Flavour: Fleshy pear flavours and some mineral flavours. Nice length and poise. A winner.

Points: 85 (3+7+11+7+7+50)

Notes: A good version of a grape not widely grown here. This producer is trying new things, not always with success, but this is a winner.

Domaine la Gemiere 2012

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Sancerre
Vintage: 2012
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 12.5%
Colour: Yellow/grey
Bouquet: Rather closed bouquet. Potentially wet pebbles but it was weak

Flavour: Grapefruit in a very even, clean wine with decent length

Points: 83 (3+6+11+7+6+50)

Notes: Some members of the group ranked this second but I was not convinced. I've had it previously at F's and will retaste it later in the summer to see if I have a different experience

 

St Hallet 2012 Riesling

Our picnic wine for today, the description from last year still applies.

Dandelion Vineyards 2013 Wishing Clock of the Adelaide Hills (Sauvignon Blanc)

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region/G.I.: Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
Vintage: 2013
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 12.5%
Colour: Yellow/grey
Bouquet: Flinty, wet rock

Flavour: Grapefruit and lemon pith with good length supported by pleasant mineral tones. Very enjoyable.

Points: 87 (3+8+11+7+8+50)

Notes: Our unanimous winner for the evening even though some were thrown by the flinty bouquet. An untypical style for the local market but a worthy winner for our evening.

 

Moorilla Estate 2013 Muse Sauvignon

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region/G.I.: Tasmania, (St Matthias Vineyard)
Vintage: 2013
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Colour: Yellow/grey
Bouquet: Classic gooseberry

Flavour: Fruit more towards lemon/lime which is held together with excellent sourness. Solid.

Points: 85 (3+8+11+6+7+50)

Notes: A close second in our Sauvignon tasting. Popular.

A pricey wine (as many are from Tasmania) at $30~580Kc from the cellar door.

Logan Wines 2012 Weemala Tempranillo

Variety: Tempranillo
Region/G.I.: Central Ranges, Mudgee
Vintage: 2012
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.0%
Colour: Deep purple
Bouquet: Plum, dark chocolate

Flavour: Gentle, stewed cherry and cinnamon. Very nice length and good body all the way through.

Points: 85 (3+7+11+7+7+50)

Notes: A soft, gentle style. Very nice.

Passing Clouds 2006 Musk Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay
Region/G.I.: Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges
Vintage: 2006
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 11.5%
Colour: Yellow
Bouquet: Smokey, gun flint

Flavour: Lemon and lime held together with crisp acidity and lovely sourness in an extended finish. (Tasted blind, I would not have guessed it was this old).

Points: 88 (3+8+11+8+8+50)

Notes: Very different to the aged Chardonnay tasted but hugely enjoyable. Restrained elegance. A present that I gave to F, it returned to complement our lunch. Bought this year for $19~380Kc

 

Vinifera Wines 2012 Rose

Variety: I think Tempranillo or Graciano was used for this Rose
Region/G.I.: Central Ranges, Mudgee 
Vintage: 2012
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Colour: Deep salmon to almost orange
Bouquet: Wild strawberry dominant

Flavour: Fresh, crisp, almost green/Granny Smith apple skin inclusive of tartness. Refreshing and tasty. Done well.

Points: 85 (4+7+11+6+7+50)
Notes: A perfect summer drink. It started our lunch. All the wines from Vinifera have been lovely and other tastings have been mentioned recently, like the Tinto.

 

Scotchmans Hill 1998 Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay
Region/G.I.: Port Phillip, Geelong
Vintage: 1998
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.9%
Colour: Dark yellow
Bouquet: Honeyed tones, rockmelon (cantaloupe), bottle age

Flavour: Medium length which was surprising with orange peel, hazelnut and creamy flavours balanced elegantly. Held together very nicely with a slightly tart sourness. Serious and enjoyable.

Points: 89 (4+8+12+7+8+50)

Notes: The highlight of last weekend when I had friends over for lunch. F is a fan of Chardonnay and this was a gamble and a great bet. Bought from a specialist seller this year for $22~450Kc.

Bleasdale 2012 Second Innings Malbec

Tasted in August this year, with the same description applicable.

Saint Clair 2012 Pinot Gris

It's almost a year, but the description is still apt.

Vinifera Wines 2008 Tinto

Same notes as from August this year. An emergency glass needed for Thursday night.