d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2010

d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 2010

  11:57    Stu.

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An excellent cellar-worthy prospect here. Gains in stature with time and air; unfurling, stretching and bulking up. If you approach now, please do so with a good decant. Plum and black fruit, a dusting of dark cocoa powder with sweet oak perfume. Shows good weight on...

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Thoughts on Fourteen

Thoughts on Fourteen

  12:22    Stu.

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I'm not normally one for taking on end of year reviews. But 2014 was a funny fucker. A year of highs, lows, of love and loss. Mornington Glory In my little wine world, 2014 started with a trip to the Mornington Peninsula. A trip with a good bunch of wine lovers, each...

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Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

  10:12    Stu.

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Delicate citrus offers itself up, a little grilled nectarine smokiness, toasted almond and nougat. A sucker punch of tangy, nippy grapefruit acidity has your palate reeling after a delicate intro. A focussed line of acid riven through the wine.  A little phenolic...

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Willow Bridge Estate 'G1-10' Chardonnay 2013

Willow Bridge Estate 'G1-10' Chardonnay 2013

  06:48    Stu.

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I'm not entirely sure what a G1-10 is. An internet search for the same reveals anything ranging from an environmental protection law to musical instruments through to a French autoroute. In this guise, we have fine Chardonnay from Western Australia's Geographe wine...

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Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2012

Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2012

  07:52    Stu.

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Bold wine on show here, touches of liqueur, with sappy notes suggestive of the inclusion of some stems. This is fine Pinot. Carries weight, depth and breadth - big and balanced with hints of sweet oak. Still needs a little time to settle into itself, a bit like the teenager...

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Shaw & Smith Pinot Noir 2013

Shaw & Smith Pinot Noir 2013

  07:42    Stu.

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Subtle red fruit, it's a low 12.5% alcohol, by way of cherry and macerated strawberry. Residual spice and creamy vanilla from the oak on display. Medium bodied, sour cherries - firm, yet with a balancing acidic freshness. Tannin is faint, in balance with the wine overall....

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Hither & Yon Nero d'Avola 2014

Hither & Yon Nero d'Avola 2014

  08:08    Stu.

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Nero lives up to its name here, with an inky darkness emanating from the glass. Seems 2014 was a strong year too (admittedly from a low sample set). Red and black fruits and something - I wrote at the time - like hanging your head over a pan of sizzling pork...

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O'Leary Walker Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

O'Leary Walker Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

  14:07    Stu.

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Clare Cabernet when on song, can simply be beautiful. It may not carry the gravitas of some more traditional regions, or possess the same structure, but for around $20 here we have a compelling drinking proposition. Such an attractive introduction: menthol,...

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Hither & Yon Muscat Blanc 2014

Hither & Yon Muscat Blanc 2014

  10:55    Stu.

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Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains - to give it its full name - is somewhat of a vineyard parental legend. Robinson et al, in their magnum opus "Wine Grapes", cite Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains as "the progenitors of at least fourteen grape varieties...

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Pertaringa Two Gentlemen GSM 2013

Pertaringa Two Gentlemen GSM 2013

  11:40    Stu.

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The two gents in question are Pertaringa founders Geoff Hardy and Ian Leask. Whilst Geoff is now the sole proprietor of the Pertaringa, the acknowledgement of their partnership via this wine remains as a lasting tribute. Red fruits, sweet accents, woody spice. A little...

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Andrew Seppelt Wines Sérine 2012

Andrew Seppelt Wines Sérine 2012

  14:15    Stu.

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Andrew Seppelt, formerly winemaker - and partner - at Murray Street Vineyards, has long had his own label producing wines made from Barossan stalwarts such as the Shiraz and Riesling (Eden Valley). Sometimes a wine poses too good a story to simply limit it to a brief tasting...

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Kaesler Palomino 2013

Kaesler Palomino 2013

  10:01    Stu.

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Palomino, the principal grape variety used in Sherry production. Here, off of 50+ year old vines from the Barossa, the Palomino has been crafted into a table wine. Fresh, offering citrus, lemon sherbet, touch of herb and sea spray. Acidity is sharp - unusual for a variety...

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Topper's Mountain Bricolage Blanc 2013

Topper's Mountain Bricolage Blanc 2013

  13:29    Stu.

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Curious blend, a partner to the Red Earth Child - interestingly bricolage means DIY, or "construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things". Appropriately here we have a mix of Chardonnay (60%), Gewürztraminer (20%),...

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Mitchell Harris Sabre 2011

Mitchell Harris Sabre 2011

  21:33    Stu.

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I had the pleasure of tasting this sparkler (from that vintage) whilst the good lady was putting up the Christmas tree, an occasion that heralds - for our family, as no doubt it does many - the start of the festive season.  A 60/40 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir...

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Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

  12:34    Stu.

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The house style on show here: intoxicating pull of black fruits - the aromas have me, pulling me in like the smell of a new lover. Earthy, ferrous, mix of black fruit and oak with a touch of kalamata olive. The finish see dusty, powdery - nigh chalky - tannin. One last...

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Chapel Hill Parsons Nose Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Chapel Hill Parsons Nose Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

  12:30    Stu.

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An oh-so-attractive black fruit leaps from the glass here, pure damson and mulberry - makes me want to place my head in a vatful and 'motorboat' with it.  My own proclivities aside, the palate here is somewhat at odds against that playful, inviting...

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Leaping Lizard Cabernet Merlot 2012

Leaping Lizard Cabernet Merlot 2012

  14:00    Stu.

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Much preferred this over the Shiraz out of the same portfolio.  Plum, oak/mocha, cassis and blackcurrant - in short a very attractive co-variety introduction here. Flow-on to the palate, firm and drying tannin - a wine that offers balance, integrity and decent length....

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Leaping Lizard Shiraz 2012

Leaping Lizard Shiraz 2012

  13:57    Stu.

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Attractive mix of fruit, a waft of vanilla, veering to a little mocha. Smooth entry, touch of blackcurrant pastille that moves to an unattractive back bite. Reasonable length, composition not quite pulling together for me. 84 Tasted on: Thursday 13th November, a Leaf...

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Angullong Fossil Hill Shiraz Viognier 2013

Angullong Fossil Hill Shiraz Viognier 2013

  21:16    Stu.

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Possesses a vibrancy, a pretty good lure when in glass. The attraction doesn't end there. A harmonious mix of fruit supported by a frame of oak. Oak, plums, nutty hints on the palate; a powdery coating of tannin. Length adds further allure, tannin holding a good...

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