Yelland & Papps Delight Vermentino 2012

Yelland & Papps Delight Vermentino 2012

  05:38    Stu.

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A pleasant packaging refresh since I had a look at the 2011 release of the same.  A pleasing tactile feel to the label too.  You'll have to avail of one to get a feel for yourself. Lemon, citrus blossom evade out of the glass - bringing you in.  The...

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Bimbadgen Semillon 2011

Bimbadgen Semillon 2011

  07:30    Stu.

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Sherbety lemon, with grass, hay and a hint of buttery character.  Palate shows as lively, fresh and zesty.  Real mineral character here.  Some hint of lime brulee. Finishes clean with mineral, lively acid and defined lemon.  Clean, but failed to...

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Jamsheed Harem Series Mon Petite Francine 2011

Jamsheed Harem Series Mon Petite Francine 2011

  06:01    Stu.

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Pretty controversial wine, insofar as it was denied export approval by the Australian panel that granted such.  Granted as it itself is now defunct.  You can read more on it here. A single vineyard Cabernet Franc, showing a fair bit of funk through stalky/...

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Benjamin Darnault Picpoul de Pinet 2011

Benjamin Darnault Picpoul de Pinet 2011

  15:15    Stu.

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It's back!  The new vintage of the delightful Picpoul de Pinet from Benjamin Darnault.  And the bottle image depicts exactly how I'll be consuming this stunner: by the pool-load AND by the pool. Pretty similar to the 2010. Fresh aromatic profile with with...

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Massena Mataro 2010

Massena Mataro 2010

  21:24    Stu.

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Most likely a one-off production, a lack of Grenache meaning no Moonlight Run produced in that year. A pretty, bright, enticingly perfumed Mataro.  Still retains Mataro's typical choc-cherry-plum character, augmented by some cracked pepper.  Smells a little...

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TeAro Estate 'Pump Jack' Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

TeAro Estate 'Pump Jack' Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

  07:04    Stu.

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Final Cabernet Sauvignon of three tasted blind.  Been very impressed with the TeAro Estate wines reviewed to date, less so with this Cabernet.  It is still well made, showing good balance, with fruit quality shining through. Where it falls short for me is...

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Bremerton 'Coulthard' Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Bremerton 'Coulthard' Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

  08:25    Stu.

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Second of three Cabernets tasted blind.  Leafy with hints of minty florals mixed with black fruit, notably cassis, dusty cassis. Dark fruits, layered, spice and pepper - quite vibrant.  Finishes with licorice, tar and good gravelly tannin.  89 - Good Source:...

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Attollo Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Attollo Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

  08:13    Stu.

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First of 3 Aussie Cabernets tasted together, single-blind (so wines known but identities masked).  Notes pretty much as taken. Tomato leaf, bay, rustic herbal/ bushy notes.  Speaking to me of Margaret River with a little capsicum thrown in.  Over time shows integrated chocolate and cedary notes, with the background leafiness a consistent theme. Medium-to-full bodied, peppery-spice...

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Fox Creek Vermentino 2011

Fox Creek Vermentino 2011

  07:56    Stu.

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Lemon with sea breeze wafting in the background.  Clean, light and fresh - a little too clean for my liking.  A tad thin, refreshing with a mere suggestion of fruit: mandarin and light apricot. Hint of mineral and zing toward the finish, clean but not outstanding. ...

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Flaxman Paladin Shiraz 2011

Flaxman Paladin Shiraz 2011

  07:37    Stu.

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'Paladin' meaning hero or supporter and so the wine is so named to reflect the status of Shiraz in the region. Juicy, gummy, berry-driven aroma.  In part elegant, in part playful, youthful.  Fresh and fruity with a little wilder undertone. Juicy driven entry, edged with a little spice.  There's also the presence of a harder, stalky edge to the wine.  Drying tannin to finish. ...

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Merlot: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Merlot: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

  13:45    Stu.

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nani gigantum humeris insidentes The liberal licensing of such a noted phrase could apply equally to makers of the subject variety, as it could my own attempts to understand it further through tasting with a scribe and palate I consider one of the best around. Well a man can learn in only two ways: reading and by association with smarter people than himself*.  So, keen to understand...

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Chateau de Cèdre 'La Cèdre' Cahors 2007

Chateau de Cèdre 'La Cèdre' Cahors 2007

  13:31    Stu.

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Regarded as a 'super-cuvee' for the producer, winemaking inputs are as befits the label and correspondingly flow through into the wine. 100% Malbec (appelation rules specify only a 70% minimum), hand-sorted, destemmed, and crushed, with a 40 day maceration with daily...

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TeAro Estate Tempranillo 2010

TeAro Estate Tempranillo 2010

  08:43    Stu.

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Tempranillo is an interesting beast.  Thick skinned, it ripens early, but buds neither early or late and has a relatively short-growing cycle.  Likes diurnal variation - so like many grape varieties, site is key. I have a love/ hate relationship with Australian...

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Toscar Monastrell 2007

Toscar Monastrell 2007

  20:50    Stu.

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Imported by Ce Soir Wine, and hailing from Spain's central eastern coast in the Alicante DO (Denominación de Origen).  And fair good value say I. Initially on opening it was redolent of fresh cigars, settling into dark plum and morello cherry with some meaty...

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Yelland & Papps Delight Vermentino 2011

Yelland & Papps Delight Vermentino 2011

  12:26    Stu.

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Vermentino would appear to be doing rather well in Australia, for certain there are many examples being produced and one would hope this is flowing on through in sales. It has many a quality to endear it to the consumer: light, flavoursome, lower in alcohol and generally...

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Flaxman Wines Mataro 2010

Flaxman Wines Mataro 2010

  20:53    Stu.

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For me, a good Mataro experience starts with a glimpse into the Abyss.  A dark, swirling, complex, heady aroma; leading, tempting, inviting you in. Cherry, chocolate, blood plum, beetroot and hints of iron and earth.  It's full bodied, a fuller mouthfeel;...

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Jauma Danby Grenache Syrah 2011

Jauma Danby Grenache Syrah 2011

  21:32    Stu.

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Image stolen from ratfaced.com Rose, strawberry and raspberry.  This blend of Grenache (90%) and Syrah (10%) is highly aromatic; gentle and soft in the red fruit spectrum.  I had the pleasure of attending a tasting with the entertaining James Erksine of Jauma...

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Waywood Wines Cabernet Sangiovese 2010

Waywood Wines Cabernet Sangiovese 2010

  21:04    Stu.

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A 60/40% blend of the two varieties, co-fermented actually.  A wonderful wine to watch evolve over time.   Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese have a somewhat natural affinity to one another, at the outset this wine was more of the latter, despite being the junior partner, a qualitative indicator.  Aromatically akin to a gentleman's study: wood, leather, hints of tobacco, tea,...

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