September 2017 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Saturday, 23 September 2017

Terre a Terre Crayeres Vineyard Wrattonbully Shiraz 2015

10:06 Stu.

Smokey, meaty manifestation of the Shiraz here. Black cherry and pepper, even hints of juniper perhaps. A complex offering - one that delights at every turn. At odds to - perhaps in spite of - that complexity, it's deliciously medium bodied, elegant even. And...

2015 / Shiraz / Wrattonbully

Friday, 22 September 2017

Yelland & Papps Shiraz 2016

12:00 Stu.

Boy it smells juicy. Its a riot of fruit: blackcurrant, raspberry and redcurrants, very expressive and inviting. Deliciously medium bodied, juice and fresh up and about you acidity. There's a tangy presence, my take on judicious picking, and enough tannin to carry...

2016 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Yelland & Papps Vin de Soif 2016

14:30 Stu.

A blend of Grenache/ Mataro/ Carignan on this one. Soif by name, Soif by nature A wee touch of the lift here, sitting over the Grenache that leads the charge on this year's 'Soif'. Macerated strawberry, herbal twists and tinges and perhaps a little cream of tomato...

2016 / Carignan / grenache / Mataro et al

BK Wines Pet' Nat' Chardonnay 2017

08:30 Stu.

It's fresh, lemon balm over a bready, yeasty character. Not the strongest aromatic game. But the fun happens on the palate. It's a lively, big bubbled mouthful of fun - to me therein lies the charm of the Pet Nat style. It enlivens, encourages and has you yearning for...

2017 / Adelaide Hills / Pet Nat / Petillant Naturel

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2017

14:30 Stu.

For a wine that tops out at sub-$15 (if you want, this can be picked up for $11 at Liquorland) this smells like reasonable Pinot. Carries a little meat, briar, seasoning. Not particularly, or expressly, aromatic - yet certainly varietal. Squarely medium of body,...

2017 / King Valley / pinot noir / Victoria / Yarra Valley

Tim Adams Riesling 2017

08:30 Stu.

Classic Clare aromatics: lime, apple blossom, bath salt lift. It's vibrant, energetic if you will. Zippy, zesty, lively acid with a little crunch and phenolic grip. Clare chalky profile, exquisite freshness to boot. Great line and length and exquisite freshness....

Monday, 11 September 2017

Terre à Terre Cabernet Franc 2015

14:30 Stu.

Good to see more varietal Cab Franc on the market. Typically a pretty thing, light and airy. Here bright, crunchy and pippy blackcurrant, even a little blueberry. It's very evocative in the blue spectrum. Wickedly medium bodied. Lovely crunchy tannin and a slick...

2015 / Cabernet Franc / Wrattonbully

d'Arenberg The Dry Dam Riesling 2017

08:30 Stu.

Sub-11% Riesling with fruit sourced from across McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. Bath salt aromatics with hints of citrus. Sure tantalises the nasal cavity. Palate is cleansing, a mineral tickle on entry. Profile is somewhat broader, use of a bit of residual sugar to...

#RieslingRevival / 2017 / Adelaide Hills / McLaren Vale / riesling

Sunday, 10 September 2017

Mr Mick Rosé 2017

16:00 Stu.

Gentle berry intro, strawberry, cranberry and a little muskiness thrown in for good measure. It's a dusky pink in glass too, with something akin to a metallic hue. The palate is soft and sensuous, the faintest of chalky pucker giving some body. Clean and dry for sure,...

Out of Step Wine Co CatBird 2017

12:00 Stu.

I wasn't entirely sure what this was prior to opening. A good approach, take no pre-conceived ideas with you. Pouring with a slight turbidity, the winemaker's hand evident before you've taken a sip. On approach, the variety itself shows itself: unequivocally Sauvignon...

2017 / Sauvignon Blanc / Yarra Valley

Thursday, 7 September 2017

Rymill The Yearling Shiraz 2016

14:30 Stu.

Great nose here, carries all that lovely black fruit - think of plum, blackcurrant with a sprinkle of seasoning. There's almost a fudgey aspect to proceedings. One that invites. The black fruit is present on the palate - not to the same degree as yet aromatics...

2016 / Coonawarra / Shiraz

d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2016

08:30 Stu.

Apricots sing clear on this one. It's a pretty thing, that stonefruit in tandem with florals offering an attractive intro. Sadly the palate comes across a little odd, missing definition and shape, in fact comes across initially as quite sweet followed by a dryness....

Wednesday, 6 September 2017

Deakin Estate Shiraz 2016

14:30 Stu.

Fruit drawn from the broader 'Victoria' regional designation. You really cannot go wrong here for ten bucks. Berries on display that naturally flow onto the palate. It's smooth, rounded, even a little plumpness. Vanilla in the mix - at the price you can't be asking...

2016 / Shiraz / Victoria

Seville Estate Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2016

08:30 Stu.

I'm pretty rubbish at remembering which melon is which, especially as they have different names betwixt the UK and Aus. All of which is somewhat of a contrived way of saying this smells of melon. Melon with a lemon barley overlaid. Lends it an incredible freshness, a springlike...

2016 / Chardonnay / Yarra Valley

Tuesday, 5 September 2017

Ballycroft Small Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

14:30 Stu.

1972 plantings; just over a tonne harvested (1082kg); pumped over four ties a day, basket pressed; 36m in shaved out French oak. Hefty alcohol on this one Joe! Smells like turbo-charged Cabernet, but Cabernet it is nonetheless. Carries the cedar and bay with doughy hints from the time spent out in the shaved out oak. It’s oaky, there are hints of fruit peeking through, but oak leaves a big...

2013 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Langhorne Creek

Heggies Vineyard >500m Chardonnay 2016

08:30 Stu.

Made by Teresa Heuzenroeder, the winemaker of one of my favourite Yalumba Whites, the FDW Chardonnay. Captures the imagination with its mix of stonefruit and quince framed up with some nougaty oak. Fair tickles the nostrils Stonefruit freshness with something approaching...

2016 / Chardonnay / Eden Valley

Monday, 4 September 2017

d'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

14:30 Stu.

The icon on song. The richness: the cedar and bay hints; the fruit: all blackcurrant and a little mulberry; it’s varietal and also offers up chocolatey elements bound up with that fruit. Immediately noticeable is the tannin, the grain is fine and also substantial,...

2014 / Cabernet Sauvignon / McLaren Vale

Mitchell Watervale Riesling 2016

08:30 Stu.

Classic Clare citrus derived nose: plenty of lime, just a bit of oxidisation on it (the lime, not the wine). What marks this out, for me, is more than just that classical citrus. Textural hints and twists: powder-fine chalk and flinty notes give this a mineral-charged...

#RieslingRevival / 2016 / Clare Valley / riesling

Sunday, 3 September 2017

Ekhidna McLaren Vale Rosé 2016

14:30 Stu.

Ekhidna (the She-Viper in Mythology) is a McLaren Vale based brand, the work of winemaker Matt Rechner. Pretty solid in the off-trade and with a growing presence in the on within casual and bistro dining. This was my first experience of their wines. Shiraz based saignee...

2016 / McLaren Vale / Rosé / Shiraz

d'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 2015

09:48 Stu.

Always excellent value in the d'Arenberg 'Originals' range for my mind. Generally good for a stretch in the cellar too. Good going and 2015 seemingly no exception. Unequivocally McLaren Vale Shiraz. Has a bit of the earth, leather and briar about it. Sweeter accents, a...

Friday, 1 September 2017

Tapanappa Eden Valley Riesling 2016

14:30 Stu.

The 2015 of this wine fair blew me away, and so it was with a mix of good fortune and some excellent navigation from myself that I managed to find myself back at Tapanappa's Cellar Door in early 2017. For Eden Valley Riesling it speaks more of florals with just a suggestion...

#RieslingRevival / 2016 / Eden Valley / riesling

Hither & Yon Rosé 2017

08:00 Stu.

1st September is release day for this offering. Pouring a very pale pink, just kissed with a hint of colour. Musky hints give lie to what's within. You could have me fooled into thinking this has a touch of Gewurz, the muskiness bordering on that grape. Except here...

2017 / Carignan / McLaren Vale / Muscat Rouge à Petits Grains / Rosé

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