Rymills. 2004 MC2

General: Wow! I'm a fan of this style of wine and was suitably impressed at this wonder.

Varieties: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc

Region: Limestone Coast, SA

Subregion: Coonawarra

Alcohol: 13%

Bouquet: A non-aggressive blackcurrant nose with hints of spice

Flavour. Complex. Berry fruit and nettles/brush are complimented by gentle tannins and some vanilla. Smooth with a long, satisfying finish. Lovely.

Points: 88

Notes: The best red blend since I returned. Now madly trying to find where I can buy more.

Pikes. 2007 The Red Mullet

General: This is the second time I have tasted this wine. I am a fan.

Varieties: Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo

Region: Clare Valley, SA

Alcohol: 14.5%

Bouquet: Mild. Brush. Hints of Red currants.

Flavour: Very smooth with good length. Debated whether hints of red currant or sour cherry were stronger. Surprising that the alcohol is not noticeable given its strength.

Points: 84

Notes: At $14.00 (210 Kc) a very good ready to drink wine. Very good value.

Matua Valley Wines. 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

General: Another from the huge range of Sauvignon Blanc here. This one tasted on 14 January 2010.

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Marlborough, NZ

Bouquet: A very typical gooseberry bouquet

Flavour: A straightforward wine, balanced, dry, with a citric finish.

Points: 82

Notes: I followed this with a Cloudy Bay 2009 Sav Blanc which had more complexity. A good version of this wine. Nothing extraordinary about it. At $13.60 (204 Kc), there is much on the market which is similar.

Grape variety: Chambourcin

Tasted on Saturday, 9 January 2010 at the Shoalhaven Food and Wine Show, Nowra

The Shoalhaven Coast wine region has its "wine of the region" the wine variety Chambourcin, which is apparently a hybrid (fungal resistant) variety available since the 1960s. A number of local wineries were presenting at the SFWS and almost all had a Chambourcin on offer.

The wine in almost all cases was dark purple, light to medium bodied with a lacklustre flavour of watery plums with a pepperish finish. The finish was pleasant. Excluding this finish, I am clearly not a fan of the variety. It reminded me of pub-variety wines from Prague times, which at least were cheap whereas bottles of this stuff started at $19.00!

Locally, I found the Verdelhos to be done very well.

Coolangatta Estate, which had a wide variety of wines, had an excellent Tannat. This estate is one of three earmarked for KLD's visit to Oz :-).

The other two were Cupitt's Winery (best Verdelho tasted on the day) and from the neighbouring wine region of Southern Highlands, Bluemetal Vineyard which had a stunning Petit Verdot amongst a fine selection.

Vintage Cellars. 2009 Sauvignon Blanc

General: The last of my Vintage Cellars branded purchases. This was well received by afternoon visitors

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Marlborough, NZ

Alcohol: 12.5%

Bouquet: This is a typical gooseberry flavoured wine with a nose to match

Flavour: Fresh, crisp gooseberry flavours. Generous.

Points: 82

Notes: This is done well and a very typical NZ styled wine. Uncomplicated and pleasureable drinking. At $13.00 (195 Kc) is represents good value but there is a huge choice to choose from. I was also surprised as this is the first 2009 wine I have tasted. One final selling point is that its production is Carbon Neutral as this is something the Kiwis are adding to their marketing portfolio.

De Bortoli. Windy Peak. 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon

General: After recent excellent tastings of this range from De Bortoli (see here), I was excited to try this. Our pleasant afternoon was made all the better for this beauty.



Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon

Region: listed on the bottle as Dixon's Creek. Website states multiple sites from Victoria

Alcohol: 12.0%

Bouquet: Grassy, fresh with a hint of lychee

Flavour: Lychee with a wonderful citrus finish. Well balanced and very smooth. Very well crafted.

Points: 85

Notes: A relative bargain at the undiscounted price of $12.00 (180 Kc)

Tahbilk. 2008 Marsanne

General: I bought this bottle as I have not previously tried Marsanne as a varietal. In addition, I previously enjoyed a blend from Nagambie Lakes. (Photo to come soon. Interim from internet)



Variety: Marsanne

Region: Goulburn Valley, VIC
Sub-region: Nagambie Lakes

Alcohol: 12.5%

Bouquet: Honey with secondary lemon fragrances. Unusual

Flavour: Consistent with the bouquet. Medium in length and interesting on the palate thanks to the combination of flavours. My only concern was that I didn't necessarily enjoy the flavours.

Points: 81 (but see below)

Notes: A quick search online (thanks Wikipedia) suggests that this wine is best suited aged and the wine maker also suggests this on the bottle. It is supposed to develop a nuttiness flavour. In this case I may have been harsh in scoring because I was not sure what to expect. I'll grab another bottle ($15.00/225 Kc) or two to age it and see how it develops.