March 2016 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Wednesday, 23 March 2016

Yelland & Papps 2nd Take Roussanne 2015

18:29 Stu.

Cloudy little beast, could fool you into thinking it's a cider, until you get the olfactory organ into it that is. Lemon drops, touch of butter menthol, florals, dribble of honey, a little thyme. Fragrant little cherub. Touch cidery on the palate, there's...

2015 / Barossa Valley / Roussanne

Monday, 21 March 2016

Willow Bridge Estate Dragonfly Shiraz 2014

08:44 Stu.

Shiraz in WA is oft - justifiably IMO - overlooked in favour of the noble Cabernet Sauvignon (and friends). Willow Bridge Estate - from Geographe - could well make you rethink that, not only here with this standout example at $20, but also further up the portfolio with...

2014 / Geographe / Shiraz

Sunday, 20 March 2016

Cook's Lot Chardonnay 2014

14:30 Stu.

Toasty oak, vanilla over grilled nectarine; there's a faint tropical line that lingers - kumquat jelly or such. Lacks a little fruit in the middle for my liking - oak showing a touch more dominant - but it's supplemented by a little chewy caramelisation. A little back...

2014 / Chardonnay / Orange

Tapanappa Merlot Cabernet Franc 2012

08:58 Stu.

An exemplary wine, a blend of Merlot (66%) and Cabernet Franc (34%), sees 70% new French oak. That oak here is fairly obvious: well seasoned, cedary - the rich, dark fruit sits in the background, supplemented by cigar box aromatics. Medium-full of body, the fruit here...

2012 / Cabernet Franc / Merlot / Wrattonbully

Alkoomi White Label Chardonnay 2015

07:28 Stu.

Since sold out ex-winery. Subtle stonefruit aromatics supplemented by a little citrus fleshiness. More of the same flows on the palate, a rounded creamy profile. Mineral, a little grip adding further appeal. Cleansing acidity on back palate brings you home. 88 Tasted...

2015 / Chardonnay / Great Southern

Saturday, 19 March 2016

Topper's Mountain Bricolage Rouge 2012

14:30 Stu.

The artist formerly known as 'Red Earth Child' has transmorphed into 'Bricolage Rouge' due to a trademark issue. Same crazy blend: Tempranillo (60%), Tannat (15%), Nebbiolo (15%) and Barbera (10%) - quickly checking the maths, that does indeed make 100%. Fair chunk of...

2012 / Barbera / nebbiolo / New England / Tannat / Tempranillo

The Lane Block 2 Pinot Gris 2015

08:30 Stu.

Nashi pear, florals, flecks of spice. Bit it's the palate whereby the wine comes into its own, and where the hand of winemaker Michael Schreurs shows, texture with phenolics deftly presented. It's a wine of excellent mouthfeel, palate presence. Has a slight...

2015 / Adelaide Hills / Pinot Gris

Friday, 18 March 2016

Angullong Pinot Grigio 2015

15:42 Stu.

Green apple and tropicals, carries a lingering sweetness. Milky, more of the sweetness, a little musk. Not entirely convinced on this outing. 85 Tasted on: Sunday 4th October, a Flower day Source: Sample Price: $19 Alcohol: 13% Closure: Screwcap Website: http://www.angullong.com.au/ Follow...

2015 / Orange / Sauvignon Blanc

Oxford Landing Pinot Grigio 2015

15:31 Stu.

Carries the hallmark aromatics of the style: bosc pear, florals, a touch of spice. Some might consider it Gris-esque in profile. I'd actually be keen to see where this sits on the Spectrum: textural flourishes, acid spice and phenolics - all suggest it could straddle...

2015 / Pinot Grigio / South Australia

Monday, 14 March 2016

The Lane Vineyard Block 8 Merlot 2013

10:00 Stu.

Single vineyard wine from Adelaide Hills leading light, The Lane. Touch gamey, brambly fruit; comes from a single block up in the Adelaide Hills, a site with the least water across the Lane’s substantial holdings - treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen. Or, in this case, deliver...

2013 / Adelaide Hills / Merlot / Single Vineyard

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Shaw Vineyard Estates Merlot 2013

18:44 Stu.

Black cherry, plums, whiff of smoke, suggestive hazelnut lingers in the background. Attractive palate profile: a seductive hint of oak, cherry, a modicum of spice. Elegant, lovely interaction of essentially savoury character with a balancing fruit aspect. Touch of tannin:...

2013 / Canberra District / Merlot

View Road Wines 'Picked by my Wife' Merlot 2014

18:18 Stu.

No bottle image - so here's Miles from Sideways Savoury, tobacco, leaf, touch of game and Earth. Mid-weight, juicy acidity, plummy depths, licorice for extra penetration; Hangs together well - balanced. Tannin a bit player, good savoury length. 91 Tasted...

2014 / Adelaide Hills / Merlot

Saturday, 12 March 2016

Longhop Old Vine Grenache 2013

15:00 Stu.

Black fruited depth, cherry mainly, oak in the mix. Has a meatiness, not quite charcuterie, more a barbecue pan aroma. Good body: medium, juicy - fresh with reel-you-back-in acidity. Soft tannin, flavour loses its way a little in the middle, but persists on a good length. Another...

2013 / grenache / Mount Lofty

Mitchell Harris Mataro 2012

10:00 Stu.

Forgive me Mataro, for I mislaid my wine nerd notebook and consequently the beauty of this number has been unseen for some 6 months. Berry, pepper, plummy hints, Mataro's depth; savoury nuances that round the aromatic profile out. Mataro meets the Pyrenees' elegance:...

2012 / Mataro et al / Pyrenees

Friday, 11 March 2016

Ridgemill Estate Jacquez

14:30 Stu.

Interesting variety is old Jacquez, for the wine nerds amongst you it's not a variety from the species vitis vinifera - that is the species from which the common wine grapes hail. Instead it's a hybrid, a bitsa, a mongrel, the chance outcome from a random vineyard liaison...

2013 / Granite Belt / Jacquez

St Mary's Carillon 2013

13:10 Stu.

Something approaching a 'Bordeaux' blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc), but with an Aussie twist (Shiraz). Blackcurrant, black fruit, cedar and seasoned oak. A little sandy earth and sweet grass in the mix too. It's medium bodied, has a beautiful glossy...

2013 / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon / Limestone Coast / Merlot / Shiraz

Taylor's Promised Land Riesling 2014

10:24 Stu.

Lime, almost a brulee like character; showing some development, an early oxidative sense, yet retaining freshness. Citrus, kumquat, stone and mineral, good retention of acid, but not particularly bold. Seems to be playing off the backfoot, rather than being forward, assertive....

2014 / riesling / South Australia

Thursday, 10 March 2016

Wirra Wirra Angelus Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

15:50 Stu.

When executed well, I am of the opinion that Cabernet Sauvignon can be McLaren Vale's hero variety. This, my pick of the Wirra Wirra 'flagship' releases, as d'Arenberg Coppermine Road often is. Choc, choc-raspberry, gum leaf, cedar. Light, lithe, cedar, herbal; gentle...

2013 / Cabernet Sauvignon / McLaren Vale

Murray Street Vineyards 'Benno' Shiraz Mataro 2012

10:30 Stu.

A blend of Shiraz (58%) and Mataro (42%). Barossan. Toasty oak, black fruit, hazelnut, mocha, vanilla. Big, bold, yet fruit and oak seem harmonious. Slick, smooth, substantive - bold and concentrated, the treble of Shiraz combined with Mataro's deep seated...

2012 / Barossa Valley / Mataro et al / Shiraz

Wednesday, 9 March 2016

Wirra Wirra Absconder Grenache 2013

14:00 Stu.

Made from fruit off a vineyard planted way back when we were all doing the Foxtrot or Charleston and Phar Lap was just a strange way of saying you'd been for a long run. Red fruits in abundance (raspberry, strawberry, cherry), a little seasoning, spice. I don't like using...

Yelland & Papps 2nd Take Vermentino 2015

10:30 Stu.

I think I'm the outlier on this one. Have seen somewhat more favourable reviews from some peers and elder statesmen of the wine sniffing community. Different strokes for different folks. Or something like that. I'm not in the habit of aligning reviews to the...

2015 / Barossa Valley / Vermentino

Tuesday, 8 March 2016

Hither & Yon Grenache Mataro 2015

15:30 Stu.

A 60/40 blend of Grenache and Mataro respectively, and 100% McLaren Vale. Raspberry, red fruit, some wild herb/garrigue thing with a choc-raspberry-fudge milkshake. Trust me, it works. Juicy, a little dark fruit, chocolate, fine tannin; palate enlivening acidity that...

2015 / grenache / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale

Tintilla Estate Rosato di Jupiter 2015

12:14 Stu.

Made with Sangiovese fruit - not something that common in the Hunter, same could be said for decent Rosé mind. Savoury, cranberry, segueing to some raspberry. Textural hints - small portion sees some barrel ferment - ultimately drying, a little grip, spice....

2015 / Hunter Valley / Rosé / sangiovese

Monday, 7 March 2016

Hither & Yon Tempranillo 2015

16:00 Stu.

Savoury, woody hints, flashes of blue fruit, a little black cherry. In the house style: a juicy fruit-bomb, not lacking in a little savoury depth - a second pick of fruit comprising 12% of the wine was allowed a little extra hang-time, with some whole bunch inclusion...

2015 / McLaren Vale / Tempranillo

Alkimi 'Le Mistral' Rosé 2015

12:10 Stu.

A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Roussanne and with that it's red berry fruit, prime front and centre, a little lemon twist furtively lurks; summer in a glass. More berry goodness, a fine textural rub, sharp acid brings things back into focus. There's...

2015 / grenache / Rosé / Roussanne / Shiraz

Friday, 4 March 2016

Faux Pas Shiraz 2014

10:30 Stu.

Apparently sees a little addition of a few Viognier skins at the commencement of ferment. Regardless it's an aromatic little puss: citrus oil, florals, hints of violet, strawberry, lighter red berries. Turns things up a bit on the palate with a little...

2014 / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Wirra Wirra RSW Shiraz 2013

14:50 Stu.

Wirra Wirra's premum Shiraz release, sits alongside the Absconder Grenache and The Angelus Cabernet Sauvignon. Fudgey, chocolate, malty oak; hints of licorice, chocolate bullets... Slick, certainly full of body, with a lightness of touch; red fruit sits in front of...

2013 / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Shaw Vineyard Estate Riesling 2015

10:00 Stu.

Distinct tropical aromatics, lime and guava - had me yearning for a green curry, or spicy pad Thai. Open palate structure, vibrant acidity. Citrus, slight salinity, some bath salt, grapefruit. Tangy. Pithy length, generous, contrastingly sharp. Cracking...

2015 / Canberra District / riesling

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Savina Lane Fiano Classico 2013

18:14 Stu.

Savina Lane's Cellar Door occupies a hilltop perch overlooking the vineyards laid out before it, the vines flowing downhill towards the entranceway that snakes around the property, passing the homestead on its left. As a brand it has been operating since 2012, yet vines...

2013 / Fiano / Granite Belt

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