Westend. 2008 Tempranillo

General: Post-Christmas and a cold day. Time to try something a little heavier.

Variety: Tempranillo

Region/G.I.: Southern New South Wales, Hilltops

Alcohol: 14.0%

Bouquet: Liquorice with a hint of vanilla

Flavour: Relatively simple but satisfying. Liquorice and some spice with a dry finish. Tannins were a little strong (to my liking) but a little more time will make this even better

Points: 82

Notes: I think this retails, with the usual discounts in the $15 (240 Kc) range. One of the better Australian grown Tempranillos I have tasted.

Silver Ridge. 2008 Pinot Noir

(photo to be added later)

General: Part of the last haul from Vintage Cellars. I bought this to try some New Zealand Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Marlborough, NZ
Alcohol: 12.6%
Bouquet: Lovely combination of some earthy, savoury aromas with ripe fruit (red berries) also there
Flavour: Well balanced and lengthy. The flavour follows the bouquet. Delicate flavours. This is a more savoury Pinot, satisying with a lot to taste without being in your face.
Points: 84
Notes: Available in a 2 for $20 buy. That is, about 180 Kc a bottle

Colveath. 2008 Merlot

General: One from the wine club. I have not tasted much from this region and this was a perfect introduction. This is produced by Philip Shaw and is a single vineyard wine.

Variety: Merlot

Region/G.I.: Central Ranges/Orange (NSW)

Alcohol: 13.5%

Bouquet: Complex nose. I detected brambles, red currant and a whiff of vanilla. It seemed that every smell had these aromas in a different but pleasing mix

Flavour: Surprisingly lengthy with a lovely smooth finish. Well balanced with the initial fruit gently progressing to the nice dry finish

Points: 83 (but the more I think about it, the more tempted I am to raise it to 84)

Notes: I guess the usual retail price is $20 but in the mixed case I tried, the average priced ended up being $14 (circa 250 Kc).

Grant Burge 2008 Shiraz

General: Part of the case from the first Cellarmasters shipment I bought

Variety: Shiraz

Region/G.I.: Barossa

Alcohol: 14.5%

Bouquet: Plum paste (I cannot remember what it's called in Czech), vanilla and a hint of spice

Flavour: Excellent. Full, luscious fruit on the tongue with some pepper and vanilla integrated nicely. The texture is silky smooth which surprised me for such a young wine. Medium length.

Points: 84

Notes: Discounted this was $19 (341) and it was special. My Cellarmasters experience to date has been excellent and I am keen to work my way through their range.

Casa Santos Lima. 2008 Bons Ventos

General: The guy at the wine store recommended this and against my previous bad experience with cheap Portuguese wine here, I bought it

Varieties: Castelao (Periquita), Camarate, Tinta Miuda and Touriga Nacional

Region: I thought Lisbon, but online comment suggests otherwise

Alcohol: 12.5%

Bouquet: Fruity redcurrants

Flavour: Quite a shock. The dictionary entry for "astringent" should cross reference to this wine. It tasted very green to me. The bitterness of redcurrants was also present. After a couple of days, the flavour has mellowed but not by enough to make it enjoyable. It tastes like a home concotion

Points: x (not to be bought again)

Notes: I will have to search out some higher priced Portuguese imports (this bottle $10/180Kc) to show there is great wine out there. Strangely, when looking for a photo I found that this wine is enjoyed in the UK as a good quaffing wine. Picture used although 2008 tasted.

Balthazar 2007 Ishtar

General: Part of a case I agreed to buy over the phone, this wine has a terrible tacky label but proved quite a surprise....

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 53%, Merlot 47%

Alcohol: 14.5%

Region/G.I.: Barossa, Barossa Valley

Bouquet: It actually smelt a bit meaty when first opened but with airing, it was more in terms of Christmas cake flavours - plums, raisons and spices (cinammon, cloves)

Flavour: Layers of flavour in this bottle. Rich fruity flavours matching those on the nose, with some oak in the mix and the spices also balanced nicely. A joy to taste as there was much to discover. At one point I thought I detected chocolate as well.

Points: 86

Notes: This one proves the old saying "Never judge a book by its cover". The best wine all weekend. The undiscounted price was $23 (415 Kc) and with discounts $15 (270 Kc). Absolutely worth the full price and more.

Koonara. 2006 Angel's Peak

General: As the region's speciality and a favourite variety of mine, I thought I'd give this one a go.

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region/G.I.: Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

Alcohol: 13.7%

Bouquet: Not overly powerful and typical, with blackcurrant being the main aroma

Flavour: Again, very typical. This has aged well and was medium in length and nice and smooth. Blackcurrant fruit with a good dry finish. Enjoyable.

Points: 83

Notes: At $15 (270 Kc) a decent buy but I have enjoyed others much more in this range