May 2017 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Yaldara Ruban Cabernet Shiraz 2014

14:30 Stu.

Big changes at Yaldara. After some years in the corporate wilderness at the hands of AVL/ McGuigan wines, acquisition by a wealthy Sino-Australian businessman is breathing much needed life into the business.

I had the good fortune to spend two days recently as guests of the winery - draw from that what you will - learning about some of the ideas to rejuvenate the historical brand and re-establish it within the domestic market place.

A 70/30 blend of the two respectively. It smells its 15%: dense, dark, choc-malt, pencil shaving oak.

Unequivocally full-bodied, pretty slick, a sheen on entering the palate. Not quite lavish, almost, the gloss giving way to cloven spice.

Beefy, meaty back palate, saline edge. Good lingering presence, even if not totally with finesse. 90

Tasted on: Thursday 30th March, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 15%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://1847wines.com/

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2014 / Barossa Valley / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

Rymill The Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

08:30 Stu.

Much change at Rymill, with the Rymill family selling up in October 2016 to Chinese businessman Mr Ye, ending the Rymill involvement with the brant after some 42 years. A familiar tale across much of the wine industry.

Cedar, Bay, blackcurrant - sweeter spice beyond the cedar, perhaps even a dusting of cocoa. Smelling good.

Medium bodied, fine-Cocoa tannin, somewhat lacking in the boldness of fruit that the aromatics suggest, somewhat disappointingly. That said there's a reasonable length of the flavour there is. Prefer things a little bolder. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 30th March, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $23
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.rymill.com.au/

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2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Coonawarra

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

Karra Yerta Riesling 2009

14:30 Stu.

Karra Yerta was a fantastic label back in the day. Run by the lively Marie Linke, the Karra Yerta label sadly came to an end when the partnership behind the business sought to get out of the winemaking game.

Marie was a fantastic story teller, someone who wore her heart on her sleeve. One who wasn't afraid to tell it like it is, as summed up in this blog post.

And it would appear that prime Eden Valley fruit that used to go into these glorious KY Rieslings ended up in the hands of Abel Gibson and his Rugabellus label.

This 2009 example pours that gorgeous greenish-gold, like a lime cordial. It's redolent of some age: lanolin, preserved lemon/limes, even if it's not the strongest aromatically.

Sour citrus, packing a punch of flavour: lime marmalade, a little kumquat. It's soft through the middle, retaining a little acid for carriage. Even what feels like a little chalky, phenolic texture. Difficult to rate. It's quality self-evident, just a sheer delight to experience. 92

Tasted on: Tuesday 28th March, a Leaf day
Source: Own Cellar
Price: $25
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.karrayertawines.com.au/

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Note: This post was amended at 10:30 on 31/05/2017 to reflect some updated information provided post-publication.

2009 / Eden Valley / riesling

Hither & Yon Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

08:30 Stu.

The only wine in the H&Y portfolio i've struggled with. Odd given their pedigree and the strength of the Cabernet on their home turf.

Malt, black fruit, cedary seasoning.

Medium veering to full. Good burst of flavour, concentrated black fruit, perhaps a little twist of aniseed toward the back.

Whilst it strays a little beyond generic red territory, it doesn't quite scale the heights that I see elsewhere in the portfolio. 87

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st March, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.hitherandyon.com.au/

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2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / McLaren Vale

Monday, 29 May 2017

Mr. Riggs Ein Reise Riesling 2016

14:30 Stu.

Here's an interesting one. Look, at 30g of residual sugar it's always going to be a tough challenge to drink as a stand-alone wine. Paired with appropriate food - here some Thai Chilli Chicken - it simply lapped the Chilli up.

It's all floral, citrus, tropicals - mandarin perhaps. Green apple, lime, sweet and voluptuous, mere hint of immediate acid. Gentle tang, lingering. And it just laps up any hints of heat and spice. Big strides, confident. Based on appropriate food pairing 90

Tasted on: Thursday 2nd March, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 10.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mrriggs.com.au/

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2016 / Adelaide Hills / riesling

Bremerton Tamblyn 2014

08:30 Stu.

Offers up an inviting mix of savoury (Cab dominant) aromas with a bountiful element of sweet fruit.

This flows into the palate, a sweet fruited, sugar dusted mouthful of wine. Pretty full, little roast beef and grainy tannin profile.

Solid you'd say. Pretty good effort considering the price point. 88

Tasted on: Sunday 19th March, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $18
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.bremerton.com.au/

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2014 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Langhorne Creek / Malbec / Merlot / Shiraz

Sunday, 28 May 2017

Mr Riggs 'The Magnet' Grenache 2015

14:30 Stu.

Ooh, smells pretty high-octane: less of the raspberry and softer red fruit, more toward the mulberry and plum.

Fuller bodied, more of that red fruit shines here, take berries and masticate/ macerate to really bring to the fore. Tannin is present, fine-grained, a gentle rasp against the roof of the mouth.

Feels a little extracted, McV Grenache has moved on from here. Bold, yet balanced. Redeems itself. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 23rd February, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mrriggs.com.au/

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2015 / grenache / McLaren Vale

Summit Estate Alto Tempranillo 2011

08:30 Stu.

Yes. From that vintage. What that doesn't tell, is of a wine purchased on the occasion of the first Queensland Wine Week in 2014. Those keen to find out more, can revisit the occasion of the coach trip to the Granite Belt through this promo video.

It's dark, leathery, pruny, almost gamey in stature.

At odds to this, the palate is light, silken. Soft red fruits, delicate sandy tannin. There's a hint of spice that brings up the rear. Moreish.

Not suggesting it would go much further, but very much an enjoyable drink now and great memories of a wonderful day.. 89

Tasted on: Tuesday 7th March, a Flower day
Source: Cellar Door Purchase
Price: $?
Alcohol: 12.9%
Closure: DIAM
Website: http://www.summitestate.com.au/

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2011 / Granite Belt / Tempranillo

Saturday, 27 May 2017

Mr Riggs Yacca Paddock Tempranillo 2015

14:30 Stu.

I've had to go on a bit of a diet of late, sometimes the enjoyment of life takes its toll. Paired this with some (diet version) Veal meatballs - a rather delicious pairing.

Good Tempranillo just invites you in, regardless of the style aimed at typically offers an abundance of fruit. Here, this example from the Adelaide Hills, offers that with coffeed and subtle woody hints, lending a savoury bent.

Before you even take the wine into the mouth it's as if the subtle pop of blueberry is bursting in anticipation. Inherently sweet fruited, that mix of forest fruits, no holds barred in its primary assault. A little sweet spice just adds to the equation.

For all that it lacks a driving final third, like the footy team that creates chances aplenty, but fails to convert. And as those teams are often a pleasure to watch, so it goes that this is also an absolute pleasure to drink. 90

Tasted on: Thursday 23rd February, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: SCREWCAP
Website: http://www.mrriggs.com.au/

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2015 / Adelaide Hills / Tempranillo

Deakin Estate Chardonnay 2015

08:30 Stu.

Soft, floral, rounded, redolent of pears, lemony butter.

Carries this with convinction through to the palate. Layered, some texture and lime-centric core. Freshening acid.

It's of reasonable length. Not necessarily sure I would want to drink a heap of it mind, it's quite full on. Still. 87

Tasted on: Saturday 25th February, a Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $10
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.deakinestate.com.au/

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2015 / Chardonnay

Friday, 26 May 2017

Rob Hall Harriet's Vineyard Chardonnay 2015

14:30 Stu.

Citrus, buttermilk, wheaten, with peach-fuzz sensory of delicate stonefruit.

Medium weight, minerally, awakens the senses with a burst of acid. Citrussy acid and flavour. Little textural feel to proceedings.

It's well balanced, doesn't seem to shout of any one thing in particular, an excellent team composition and fabulous length to boot. 92

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st March, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.robhallwine.com.au

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2015 / Chardonnay / Yarra Valley

Rob Hall Yarra Valley Cabernets 2015

08:30 Stu.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (15%) and Petit Verdot (5%).

Smoke and ash sitting atop florals, dusky blackcurrant and the like. Fair twist of seasoning.

An easy going, languid style - initially. Perks up a little through the mid palate, perky acid and a resurgence of fruit, soft and easy tannin. Super soft and slurpable. 91

Tasted on: Monday 20th March, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $26
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.robhallwine.com.au

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2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Petit Verdot / Yarra Valley

Thursday, 25 May 2017

Alkoomi White Label Chardonnay 2015

14:30 Stu.

Plenty of which peach, a little toast too. Perfect - what you want and just gently hums: "Chardonnay".

Bit of toastiness - perhaps a little overdone, four and not three on the dial. Certainly gives carry, but in a bitter manner. Given where Aus Chardonnay is, for $15 sheets it's a sure fire winner.

Has enough about it - as opposed to the skinny, skeletal, early picked waifs - to carry off variety with conviction. Just lacks finesse. And look, for the price who's quibbling? 88

Tasted on: Thursday 23rd February, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $15
Alcohol: 12.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.alkoomiwines.com.au/

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2015 / Chardonnay / Great Southern

Chateau Yaldara Reserve Shiraz 2013

08:30 Stu.

A whopping 16% alcohol, a wine that's dark, chewy, leathery - almost Biltong like, giving the hint to that size.

Dense, concentrated, black fruit, almost tarry; the oak is shouting at the top of its lungs, and the black tarry fruit is more than a match in this slanging match.

You'd have to be of a certain persuasion. It's unashamedly old 'skool' Barossa Shiraz. An oak and fruit Monster. 92

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st February, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 16.1%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://1847wines.com/

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2013 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 24 May 2017

Mr Riggs Mrs Viognier 2015

22:27 Stu.

Subtle wafts of Apricot on show here, sitting atop a floral/ dried grassy/wheaten undertow.

Quite fine structured, elegant, crisp and snappy. Stonefruit hints, minerally. Avoids the overblown, blowsiness that can afflict. Shows a little oiliness by way of back palate texture. Good showing. 89

Tasted on: Wednesday 22nd February, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mrriggs.com.au/

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2015 / McLaren Vale / Viognier

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

La Linea Lenswood Mencia 2016

18:32 Stu.

I've a curious soft spot for Mencia, after having been lured in to the variety via a magnificent example from Guimo. Of course, a few Aussies are now having a play with the variety, of which d'Arenberg's stab is also reviewed on these pages. Anyway, i'd long since give up hope of tasting this - long sold out - example from the Adelaide Hills, save for finding a bottle in the wonderful East End Cellars.

Admittedly tasted from the cheapest stemware in a hotel room. Has the florals mixed with a little savoury edge.

What strikes me about the wine is this beautiful balance of fruit meets freshening-about-you acidity with a minerality.

It's kind of akin to volcanic reds from Sicily in that regard. Just carries a tremendous lightness to, without sacrificing length. Joyous. 92

Tasted on: Friday 19th May, a Root to Flower day

Source: Retail, East End Cellars
Price: $28
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://lalinea.com.au/

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2016 / Adelaide Hills / Lenswood / Mencia

Thursday, 18 May 2017

d'Arenberg Darry's Original Shiraz Grenache 2014

12:01 Stu.

Classic blend, nigh legendary wine from McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg.

Faintest whiff of a reductive note on show - certainly not an expressive beast on first showing. A little time reveals something of more a savoury bent: earthen, cedary, spiced, yet there's blackberry and suggestion of the Grenache in the background.

Slick, primary fruited palate certainly gives away more than its nose suggests. Dusty tannin, harder - forced - acid on show. it certainly doesn't want for length, although it needs to come together, for that fruit to come together in unison. 89

Tasted on: Saturday 13th May, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $18
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.darenbergwine.com.au/

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2014 / grenache / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Friday, 12 May 2017

Mr. Riggs Montepulciano d'Adelaide Hills 2015

14:30 Stu.

Alluring. Carries the Monte prettiness with purple florals, black fruit and eucalyptus over underlying vanillin oak. It's pretty, a sure fire hit on aromatics.

Jam packed with black fruit, spice, in the main pepper. There's a freshening vanilla hit, back to blueberry. A little herbal, blue fruit, Mediterranean frame. It had me thinking of lamb, olives, oregano.

It carries a subtle length, a richness, black fruited that grows in stature. 90

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st February, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mrriggs.com.au/

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2015 / Adelaide Hills / Montepulciano

Cush & Cush Wine Co 300 Grenache 2016

08:30 Stu.

Just 300 bottles made, hence the name.

Deep, earthy, beetroot-esque; black fruit starts to gently shine through against that altogether more serious proposition. There's a suggestion of stem inclusion, via the earth, but really with time it's the fruit that starts to unfurl.

Soft, velvet textured, fine-grained tannin - likely to become a hallmark of Cush & Cush wines. Concedes to a deep, earthen, ironstone presence. Again, sitting before a core of dark fruit. And oh the length, something you'd consider approaching with caution. Or at the least, consider a generous stint in the cellar. 93

Tasted on: Sunday 19th February, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $65
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.cushandcush.com/

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2016 / Greache / McLaren Vale

Thursday, 11 May 2017

Yaldara Reserve GSM 2013

18:00 Stu.

Stalwart blend from the Barossa, unsure of the specificities of the cepage. Draws a pristine, long Cork on opening.

Sweet black fruited nose: mulberry, blackberry, as you wish. Alluring, intoxicating, inviting. There's a little oak, providing a frame for what is the the primacy of fruit.

Medium, veering to full. You'd suggest the latter, with delicate hands it seems the former. Bright, principally fruit driven (without being overtly fruity). Handles well.

Latent earthen edge, but it drives home with fruit and a drying carriage of flavour. Tannin almost seems an afterthought. 92

Tasted on: Tuesday 14th February, a Root day (appropriately, for the lovers out there)
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 14.7%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://1847wines.com/

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2013 / Barossa Valley / grenache / Mataro et al / Shiraz

Wednesday, 10 May 2017

Gartelmann Sarah Elizabeth Chardonnay 2015

14:30 Stu.

Lemon sherbet dusted over a little oak seasoning. Significant portion of barrel fermentation that is communicated both aromatically and via the palate

Minerally, spicy twists, both freshening and yet with an underlying depth. I've not always been the biggest fan of Hunter Valley, warmer climate Chardonnay - yet, the freshness here wins me over. It's not the most complex entity, but it's sorbet-like charms carry it off with conviction. 90

Tasted on: Sunday 19th February, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 13.2%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.gartelmann.com.au

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2015 / Chardonnay / Hunter Valley

Out of Step Wine Co, Lusatia Park D Block Sauvignon Blanc 2016

08:30 Stu.

It's hard not to replicate what the Out of Step Crew post: 2016 (was) our 5th year of making wine. Along the way I feel we’ve transitioned from getting excited about varieties we’d like to make to really thinking about the vineyards we work with & what varieties will best express themselves, & why, on those sites.

The one constant in all our explorations over these 5 years has been sauvignon blanc from Lusatia Park in the upper Yarra Valley, albeit from H block (the 2016 example will be released is due course) rather than D block, which is the wine in question here. But either way we’re adamant now that if treated with respect once it’s off the vine sauvignon blanc can deliver just as much excitement & deliciousness as the vast majority pinot noir & chardonnay from the same region.

There you go kids, block level Sauvy is where it's at these days.

Evokes a 'gold' response: florals, honeyed. Generous, quite opulent, expansive; slate and mineral, fan of acid that spreads across the kid-back palate. Hints of tropical fruit, delicate suggestions of citrus.

It's less about flavour, a hard one to get your head around from a 'review' perspective, where the risk you run is to try and describe a gamut of flavours. I digress. It's more about feel, feeling, texture and an expansion in the mouth - a wonderful gentle phenolic style. 92

Tasted on: Monday 13th February, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $28
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.outofstepwineco.com/

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2016 / Sauvignon Blanc / Single Vineyard / Yarra Valley

Tuesday, 9 May 2017

La Bise Sangiovese 2015

14:30 Stu.

This is just what I want, perhaps expect, from a well priced Sangiovese. It doesn't want for a decent amount of fruit - a small portion of the wine is rack dried amarone style to get some good concentration.

Even with that fruit it offers up herbal, savoury twists, somewhat enmeshed with a sweeter cherried edge. Good twist of savoury tannin, nicely balanced. You'd go here. 91

Tasted on: Saturday 11th February, a Leaf to Fruit day

Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://labisewines.com.au

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2015 / Adelaide Hills / sangiovese

Yaldara Ruban Shiraz 2014

08:30 Stu.

Milk choc, mulberry, kinda wafery with some suggestion of residual oak (old, not new). Latent blackcurrant shines through.

Middle lacks some assertion, wanting from what the aromatics suggest. Mix of black fruit in the main, fresh, and freshening. Finishes well on the back of a good length. 90

Tasted on: Sunday 12th February, a Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 14.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://1847wines.com/

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2014 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Monday, 8 May 2017

Tim Adams 'The Fergus' 2014

14:30 Stu.

A blend that's ben around the traps for years. Nice touch naming the wine after a grower (oft overlooked) for stepping in with some fruit during a shortage of Cabernet and Shiraz.

Gum leaf, berry fruit, expressly aromatic. Touches of blue fruit (Temp). Medium bodied, fruit driven, powder fine tannin. Great, easy going, structure. Offers what you want. 91

Tasted on: Saturday 11th February, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.timadamswines.com.au

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2014 / Clare Valley / grenache / Malbec / Tempranillo

Hither & Yon Grenache Mataro 2016

08:30 Stu.

Nigh on pitch-perfect 60/40 blend of two listed players.

There's just something so wickedly, consistently, deliciously moreish about H&Y reds. This no exception, it extracts a juicy, jubey aromatic without straying too far towards confection. Call it an allure, call it what you will, inviting is what it is.

Slipping around the palate with ease in its easy going, red fruited nature. There's more juicy red fruit, a slip of tannin providing an edge, a framework to carry. Mataro brings up the rear, it's bassy foundations adding length, substance, spice.

91, almost go a point higher just for inherent smashability and, perhaps, just to rile the fun police.

Tasted on: Saturday 6th May, Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.hitherandyon.com.au/

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2016 / grenache / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale

Sunday, 7 May 2017

Yaldara Ruban Grenache 2014

19:17 Stu.

Ripe and rich, pronounced black fruit, smidgen of red rounding out, top spice, oak. Sandy soil perhaps? Expressive nonetheless.

Very full, but with a disarming lightness. Black currant, licorice, a little back palate freshness, salinity. Moderate length, and like me handles its alcohol well. 90

Tasted on: Wednesday 8th February, a Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 15%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://1847wines.com/

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2014 / Barossa Valley / grenache

Friday, 5 May 2017

Margan Breaking Ground Barbera 2015

14:30 Stu.

The Hunter Valley is a long way from Barbera's traditional home of Italy's Piedmont wine region. Andrew Margan took cuttings from Carlo Carino's Montrose Vineyard in Mudgee to establish this vinous immigrant back in 1998.

Pouring a vibrant garnet colour, that visual feast continues through aromas of dark cherry.

A bold and forward wine, in ripeness terms, that balances its fruit against nicely pitched acidity - a hallmark of the variety and ensuring that it can be a very good partner to a variety of foodstuffs.

It expresses itself more on the palate than it does aromatically, beyond that sour cherry intro the use of a combination of some French and second use American oak lends a substantive feel. Cloven spice adds an extra dimension before being kept in check with a delicate bitterness and freshening acid line that extends the palate. 89

Tasted on: Saturday 29th April, a Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.margan.com.au

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2015 / Barbera / Hunter Valley

Yelland & Papps Second Take Grenache 2016

08:30 Stu.

Fragrant, floral, a feast of aromatic intensity. Evokes crushed berries, raspberries - without being jubey - and just a delightful fruit/ sour balance.

Soft, plush, velvety. Intensity of flavour: burst of berry goodness, with a fine raspy tannin that builds to a crescendo. Excellent fruit/ acid balance that would see this as a winner paired with food - round our way this superbly complemented a milk poached pork belly (Grenache and Pork: a winner!).

Not simply just a fruit pony, also carries a darker edge, dried earth and the like, spicier notes carrying you home. 93

Tasted on: Sunday 9th April, a Fruit to Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 14.3%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.yellandandpapps.com/

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2016 / Barossa Valley / grenache

Thursday, 4 May 2017

Angullong Fossil Hill Sagrantino 2015

14:30 Stu.

Bright, floral in initial introduction - lurking underneath, a more savoury bent. It's a little fennel seed like, a grind of nutmeg.

Full, big grippy tannins that dominate the palate - its varietal, for sure. Tannins that seem to morph into fine, powdery tannins. Needs food, for sure. Something grilled, barbecued.

On a cracking length of flavour - keeps you thinking. 92

Tasted on: Saturday 15th April, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $26
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.angullong.com.au/

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2015 / Orange / Sagrantino

Clovely Estate Barbera 2015

08:30 Stu.

Interesting to taste this example alongside Andrew Margan's Hunter Valley example.

Exhibiting that hallmark sour cherry for which the variety is famed, it also carries a more savoury line, a little time under oak lending some spice and oak derived aromas.

Deliciously medium bodied, the freshness of the wine carrying the vitality for which the variety is known. Plum, cherry, spice making up the constituent parts and giving a reasonable length. Good wine. 89

Tasted on: Saturday 29th April
Source: Cellar Door
Price: $22
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: clovely.com.au

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2015 / Barbera / Queensland / South Burnett

Wednesday, 3 May 2017

Tim Adams Semillon 2014

14:30 Stu.

Citrus, butter menthol, hints of lanolin, waxed/ candied lime.

Curious citrus, touch honeyed. Gravelly, quartz like across the palate, somewhat disjointed - but I like it. Bold, generous length, keen to see what becomes of it. 90+

Tasted on: Friday 10th February, a Leaf day

Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.timadamswines.com.au/

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2014 / Clare Valley / Semillon

Out of Step Wine Co. Denton Hill View Chardonnay 2016

08:30 Stu.

Hand picked, pressed to barrel and then wild yeast fermented. Matured in 10% new/90% used French oak barriques and hogsheads. Full MLF, no fining, racked, settled (but not filtered) and then into bottle. No additions other than sulphur dioxide.

Delicate stone fruit (apricot, peach), that fruit is followed an inherently savoury mien.

Delicate on entry: before minerality, a little toastiness; loaded with citrus, in a very even handed manner. An easy citric acid frame that melds into a creamy, textural form.

The Out of Step crew are anything but, another flavoursome wine showing good balance and form. 91

Tasted on: Tuesday 7th February, a Root to Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $33
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.outofstepwineco.com/

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2016 / Chardonnay / Yarra Valley

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Zonte's Footstep Love Symbol Grenache 2015

16:30 Stu.

Interesting one, in that the palate off the bat delivers far more than the aroma suggests. Aromatically it just comes across as somewhat mute, not really offering up a lot - needing some time to wake, unfurl.

Quite fleshy, lolls and rolls across the tongue, quite fruitsome - raspberry, jubes and a fine grain of tannin. Carry is good.

A little back end bitterness, a counterpoint to the fleshy fruit before. Enjoyable. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 6th April, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.zontesfootstep.com.au/

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2015 / grenache

Zonte's Footstep 'Baron Von Nemesis' Shiraz 2015

12:35 Stu.

Beautifully sweet fruited nose, hints of burned orange, satsuma plum, choc-orange.

Succulent, fresh, vital palate - medium veering to full. Kinda blossoms, grows in stature in the palate. Sweet edged, darker spicier tinged. Lovely balance of the two. Balance, yes. 92

Tasted on: Tuesday 7th February, a Root to Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.zontesfootstep.com.au/

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2015 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Zonte's Footstep Lake Doctor Shiraz 2015

08:30 Stu.

Smells pretty ripe, pruney, gamey meat.

Coconut, mint, satsuma plum, fresher than the nose suggests; freshness keeps alcohol in check. Minor back palate bitterness. Goes alright, served at the appropriate temp (as with all). 90

Tasted on: Monday 6th February, a Root day
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.zontesfootstep.com.au/

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2015 / Langhorne Creek / Shiraz

Monday, 1 May 2017

K1 by Geoff Hardy Autumn Harvest Riesling 2016

14:30 Stu.

Late harvest and naturally botrytised Riesling from the Adelaide Hills, picked some 11 weeks later then K1 would do for a table Riesling.

No mistaking the style of the wine on aroma: sweet, smells unctuous, a veritable cocktail of stonefruit with a key lime edge to it. Not quite going the way of nectar, but approaching so rapidly.

Lavish, thick and broad as you take it in. Sweetness in the extreme - and it pairs delightfully with something in the same vein, think: citrus tart, lime cheesecake, or pomegranate 'Eton Mess' as recommended by the K1 stable.

Once you get beyond the hit of sugar, you are rewarded with a wine of presence that richly rewards long after it has slid down the palate. 92

Tasted on: Saturday 29th April
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 9.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.winesbygeoffhardy.com.au/

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2016 / Adelaide Hills / riesling

Mac Forbes EB26 Meunier 2016

08:30 Stu.

From the Mac Forbes Experimental Batch (EB) range. The label comments how it's rare to find an old patch of Pinot Meunier in the Yarra Valley. The fruit here being drawn from a 2 acre plot planted back in the 80s.

Pours an incredibly light, radiant hue, looking more like cranberry juice than what one expects for a wine. Has that air of a light wine, hints of that suggestive Cranberry colour, strawberry and almost 'bubble gum' like in its expressiveness.

It's light and airy on the palate too, that strawberry lead aroma not quite leading with the same degree of conviction. It has a little herbal edge through the middle and does lack for something to be anything more than a delicious plaything (as I saw it). That said, I loved it for exactly what it is. 89

Tasted on: Saturday 29th April, a Root day
Source: Cellar Door
Price: $30
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: macforbes.com

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#Vegan / 2106 / Pinot Meunier / Yarra Valley

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