Christmas Day Wines Round-Up

Being a 1 grand Pom (10 pounds adjusted for inflation and about the cost of a flight these days), I find it hard to discard the need to have a full on roast dinner for Christmas.

That said, eating in our household is all about over-catering and focussing on Boxing Day where we eat Boxing Day Pie - a pie made from left over Christmas dinner ingredients.  Not to be missed.

Here's a round-up of the wine consumed round our way.

Parker Estate Terra Rossa First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

In my limited experience of tasting, I love Coonawarra Cabernet - I really feel I can taste the lovely Terra Rossa soil.  This is no exception.  A lovely heady aroma of beautiful brambly red fruits and quality oak - that wonderful cedary cigar box aroma.  On the palate the oak gives a fine spice on the fore palate that expresses itself as a drying finish with fine tannins.  More black fruits on the follow through.  A winemakers' wine, could easily live for another 5-10 years.

Peter Lehmann The Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz 2001 (Disgorged 2008)

Plummy richness on the nose, the quality of the fruit shining through already.  On the palate, chocolate - with a generous mix of fruit coming through again.  The finish is yeasty, not quite the 'biscuity' finish of a good champagne.  Again, more plummy notes, earthen on the extreme length.

Witches Falls 2006 Granite Belt Syrah

Immediate aroma is highly reductive, sulphur and a tad of cordite (I love the smell of cordite in the morning!).  It settled down after about 20-30 minutes to present a coffee-ish note.  On the palate, plummy spice on a medium body.  The finish shows more of that spice to the end.