July 2013 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Redbank Fighting Flat Shiraz 2009

21:37 Stu.

It's fair to say that you have to like your oak to get into this wine. Oak, pepper, a full-on presentation of black fruits, hints of coal tar and liquorice root. Medium bodied, pepper and clovey spice; says something that liquorice adds a certain elegance to...

2009 / King Valley / Shiraz

Montalto Pennon Hill Pinot Grigio 2012

19:14 Stu.

Expressly aromatic, plenty of ripe pear and white florals with some elements of melon as part of its aromatic equation. On the palate it is green, clean and crisp - with perky acid highlighting a little phenolic pinch and touch of spice. Moderate length of finish...

2012 / Mornington Peninsula / Pinot Grigio

Monday, 29 July 2013

Tapanappa Cabernet Shiraz 2009

21:26 Stu.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (84%) and Shiraz (16%), the fruit is dazzling, framed up by some exquisite oak treatment. It's fairly loaded up with cassis, plum, and beyond that to underlying cedary notes, hints of violet. Multi-faceted, the fruit is very prominent, but...

2009 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Wrattonbully

Terre à Terre Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

21:09 Stu.

Terre à Terre is the label of Xavier Bizot and Lucy Croser, husband and wife team, each coming from respected winemaking familes, he as one of the families behind the Bollinger name and Lucy being the daughter of Brian and Ann Croser. Their Terre à Terre label was started...

2010 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Wrattonbully

Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 2011

19:43 Stu.

I reviewed the 2008 of this only last year. So it seems it is released as a 2 year-old, and not a 5 year old as I thirst thought. Lush, rich, 'polished' oak over background spice. The oak makes way - or certainly the olfactory organ gets used to it - a good perfume...

2011 / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Michael Hall Roussanne 2011

21:29 Stu.

Michael Hall is a producer to watch. This Roussanne spends 11 months in French oak, 1200 bottles produced in this vintage. Fruit is drawn from the Barossa, predominantly Marananga sub-district with a little additional fruit from Greenock. Shows excellent varietal character...

2011 / Barossa Valley / Roussanne

Saturday, 27 July 2013

Giorgi Canneto Pavese Sangue di Giuda 2012

08:15 Stu.

One of the more unusual samples received for a PR tie-in, sent to coincide with the Australian run of Jesus Christ Superstar. Sangue di Giuda - literally 'Blood of Judas' - is said to be so named by Friars who disapproved of the wine's aphrodisiac effects. It's made in...

2012 / Barbera / Croatina / Italy / Lombardy / Oltrepo Pavese / Uva Rara

Friday, 26 July 2013

Pertaringa Wines 'Scarecrow' Sauvignon Blanc 2013

21:48 Stu.

Four years ago on a road-trip across some of Southern Australia's wine producing states, Pertaringa's 'Scarecrow' was a favourite for the crew, pairing well with various fruits de la mer enjoyed. Roll forward a few years to this latest release and it's fair to say the...

2013 / Adelaide / Sauvignon Blanc

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Caillard Mataro 2009

21:28 Stu.

In the early days of Project Mataro, this piece by Andrew Caillard MW - auctioneer, educator, writer, artist - was a great inspiration and background resource. Subsequently it was pleasing to find that Caillard puts his money where his mouth is and chooses to apply his...

#ProjectMataro / 2009 / Barossa Valley / Mataro et al

Thursday, 18 July 2013

Pertaringa Over The Top Shiraz 2010

15:30 Stu.

Rich, dense and heavy. Would suggest there's some very good quality fruit in this beast, able to soak up the oak and show little sign of its muscular 15% alcohol. That only tells half the story, there's plum and softer red berry notes on offer here too - good perfume on...

2010 / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Sunday, 14 July 2013

Witches Falls Syrah 2010

21:49 Stu.

Tasted originally as part of an unofficial 'Queensland Wine Week' and then subsequently some two months later. From the off the wine shows its hand. Rich oak and fruit straight up, minty hint in there too, plum along with dense black fruits. Medium bodied, fruit is the dominant factor here. Black fruits and plum again; spice, pepper and a touch of chewy and drying tannin. Strikes me as being squarely...

2010 / Granite Belt / Syrah

2010 Syrahmi Mourvédre

09:34 Stu.

Adam Foster is the man behind Syrahmi - focussing on wines from the Heathcote region; l'Imposteur - wines made by Foster in France; Foster e Rocco - wines made by Foster in conjunction with Sommelier Lincoln Riley; and La La - a tribute to Guigal’s famous La Mouline,...

#ProjectMataro / 2010 / heathcote / Mataro et al

Jim Barry 'The Cover Drive' 2010

09:16 Stu.

Enjoyment of a wine can often be as much about the context in which it is enjoyed, in addition to any inherent qualities that the wine may posess. For me, this wine will forever be linked to the fact that it was bought and consumed for the sole purpose of marking the commencement...

2010 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Clare Valley / Coonawarra

Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Taylors Estate Merlot 2012

22:29 Stu.

Shows good varietal character. Leafy, bay a bit dusty. Seems more savoury - less about fruit, although that said, plummy spice does show and reveal itself. Palate lets it down a bit: thin, yet smooth, touch of drying and chalky tannin. Not out of place, just lacking...

2012 / Clare Valley / Merlot

Taylors Jarraman Shiraz 2012

22:19 Stu.

The Jarraman range draws fruit two selected regions, in this case Shiraz from McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. Mix of plummy, violet, dusty notes - but found the choc-nut oak a little obtrusive here. Palate shows black fruits, silken and smooth - fairly easy going. Finishes...

2012 / Clare Valley / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Terres Dorées l'Ancien Le Buissy 2009

21:37 Stu.

We're talking Beaujolais here, so fruit is drawn from the Beaujolais area, but not from within one of the ten named Crus (as with this Morgon from producer Jean-Paul Brun, owner of the Terres Dorées domain). This wine is produced from fruit off of 70-odd year old vines...

2009 / Beaujolais / France / Gamay

Sunday, 7 July 2013

Yelland & Papps Divine Grenache 2010

10:37 Stu.

From 130 year old vines on the outskirts of Greenock in the Barossa's North-West. Minimal cropping at a mere 0.35t/ acre, significantly down on 2009 when it was in at 1t/acre. An inky mass of black fruit; concentrated: plum, blackberry - yet there are sweeter accents here....

2010 / Barossa Valley / grenache

Yelland & Papps Devote Grenache 2011

10:29 Stu.

This had me a little off guard. Don't ask me how I know this, but on opening this smelled a little of cosmetics, in particularly of a ladies powder tray. There, I said it. Backs it up with cherry, a little doughy, meaty - light charcuterie. Violets, dusky, cranberry,...

2011 / Barossa Valley / grenache

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