January 2018 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Zonte's Footstep Scarlet Ladybird Rosé 2017

14:30 Stu.

A Rosé of Cabernet (65%) and Grenache (35%), unusual bedfellows one suggests. Regardless, berry hints and flecks of spice too. Don't let the colour deceive. Good fruit and acid balance, the former hitting initially before the latter takes over. Generous...

2017 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Fleurieu Peninsula / grenache / Rosé

The Lane Lois Brut Rose NV

08:30 Stu.

Dunno what Clark would make of this Lois, from The Lane. Sees a mix of fermentation vessels, ranging from stainless steel (50%), older use French oak (25%) and four and a half thousand litre foudre, being the balance. The Pinot Noir lends Berry accents...

Tuesday, 30 January 2018

Shottesbrook GSM 2015

14:30 Stu.

Dark, macerated fruit, residual oak hints. Spirited hints at the alcohol within tantalise the nasal cavity. Berry compote, thick and chewy, you can roll this one around your mouth for what seems an eternity. Fair bit of residual fruit sweetness and alcohol warmth...

2015 / grenache / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

The Lane Vineyard Block 14 Shiraz 2016

08:30 Stu.

Unsure when this one is released, 2015 is still up on the website for now. De-stemmed, whole berries on skins, 10% whole bunch. Sent off to used French Puncheons and demi-muids for 9 months. Exudes the cool: marries a little meatiness, verging on game; Plum, violets...

2016 / Adelaide Hills / Shiraz

Monday, 29 January 2018

Rowlee Nebbiolo 2016

12:35 Stu.

Nebbiolo that manages to capture the essence of delicate aromatics, rose and stonefruit, and yet convey a sense of being savoury. Medium bodied - barely - on entry, a gateway to firm tannin and clove spice. The acidity carries a good line of flavour with this...

2016 / nebbiolo / Orange

Sunday, 28 January 2018

Angullong Sauvignon Blanc 2017

17:00 Stu.

Very clean and green smelling on pour, a mix if tropical fruit against a background of that very english of fruits, the gooseberry. Rock melon body, nicely pitched up acidity - the two working in tandem to deliver a light and refreshing wine on a good length. 89 Tasted...

2017 / Orange / Sauvignon Blanc

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016

13:00 Stu.

The perfect example for what a bit of love applied to Sauvignon Blanc can do. Of course, love alone is not enough. A chewy one here. You'd almost be happy describing it as unctuous, rich and almost veering to full bodied. Backed up with notes of honey, almond and meal. ...

2016 / Sauvignon Blanc / Wrattonbully

Terre a Terre Down to Earth Sauvignon Blanc 2016

08:30 Stu.

By my calculations, this is the fifth release of this excellent wine from the Terre a Terre crew. Sees some treatment (large oak, time on lees) to build a little complexity and interest in the wine. Offering up hints of honeyed, poached pear this one certainly invites....

2016 / Sauvignon Blanc / Wrattonbully

Saturday, 27 January 2018

Mino & Co Botrytis Semillon 2013

14:30 Stu.

Tropical Fruits, honeyed. Layered, sweetness, unctuous. Rich and balances the sweet, with body. Perhaps not the depth of flavour, but works well with sweet food (in this instance a lemon mascarpone Pavlova) 89 Tasted on: Saturday 2nd December Source: Sample Price:...

2013 / Riverina / Semillon

d'Arenberg The Anthropocene Era Mencia 2017

08:30 Stu.

Second release of a Mencia as a varietal, from the d'Arenberg crew. Mencia is interesting and this example is no exception. The wine in question combines a dark fruit mix against an - almost - sulphurous and slightly reductive edge. Primary, somewhat raw, like...

2017 / McLaren Vale / Mencia

Friday, 26 January 2018

Ferngrove Majestic Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

14:30 Stu.

Delicate Cabernet on offer here. Assured, in how it delivers its notes of cedar, supplemented with subtle suggestions of sage, blackcurrant and even a little milk chocolate. Deliciously medium bodied, a fine lick of tannin that makes its presence known early,...

2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Frankland River / Great Southern

Wirra Wirra Angelus Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

08:30 Stu.

Residual oak sits over a herbal, think sage and Perhaps bay, core. Comes across tight, somewhat stern, on the nose initially. Juicy palate, acid a little prominent for what is a premium offering. Somewhat swamps the fruit initially, and yet also aids carriage...

2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / McLaren Vale

Thursday, 25 January 2018

Barossa Boy Little Tacker GSM 2016

15:00 Stu.

The Barossa boy in question is Trent Burge, son of stalwart Grant. Barossa Boy is Trent's solo outing with an initial release consisting of this GSM, A Cab/Shiraz, with a Mataro to follow in the new year (2018) A dark core, leathery and earthen with fruit accents, a black...

2016 / Barossa Valley / grenache / Mataro et al / Shiraz

Yelland & Papps Sete di Vino Primitivo Barbera 2016

14:30 Stu.

This Italianate blend is often a winner, the herbal inflections sitting over a darker chicory-licorice-mulberry core just offers a mix of aromatics to entice. The palate offers a wine of medium body and good acidity that can clean up. A fine rub of tannin, a dark...

2016 / Barbera / Barossa Valley / Primitivo

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

Ferngrove Cossack Riesling 2017

19:40 Stu.

Preserved lemons, grapefruit, floral hints, suggestions of vanilla. Lots going on, lots to entice with. A veritable burst of flavour, an explosion if you like. Lemons, lime, grapefruit. Theres a zestiness that provides some zing and a powdery phenolic texture for extra...

2017 / Frankland River / Great Southern / riesling

Rymill gt Gewurztraminer 2017

14:30 Stu.

Has the muskiness one expects of the variety, married to a little of the lychee fruit. The palate is interesting, lean with an acidic pitch and phenolic edge that don't necessarily ignite. I paired this with a Tom Kha Gai that initially worked well, yet subsequently...

2017 / Coonawarra / Gewürztraminer

Cape Jaffa Samphire 2016

08:30 Stu.

Skin contact white wine from the Limestone Coast. Predominantly Chardonnay, spends 6m on skins and then a further 6 in barrel. Comes across with this Creamy, almost Vanilla edge. Musky hints, almond paste, certainly much going on. Textural, chewy and...

2016 / Chardonnay / Limestone Coast / Skin Contact

Tuesday, 23 January 2018

Lowe Headstone Rosé 2017

14:30 Stu.

Blend of Grenache, Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinot Gris. An attractive aromatic mix here, as perhaps belies its composition. All too often there's a tendency to go chasing specific aromatics, when instead a general floral perhaps may suffice. A suggestion of mango skin. A...

2017 / grenache / Merlot / Mudgee / Pinot Gris / Rosé / Zinfandel

d'Arenberg The Derelict Vineyard Grenache 2013

08:30 Stu.

Can almost sense the furry little, sensuous berries of the raspberries on this one. It's cracking McLaren Vale Grenache, with the marriage of berry fruit with an underlying chocolate suggestion. Yes it might not be in the modern vogue - that being toward a lighter,...

2013 / grenache / McLaren Vale

Monday, 22 January 2018

Mr Mick Tempranillo 2015

14:21 Stu.

Good value in the Mr Mick range, retailing full-tote at under $20. This is my pick from the bunch. Coffee grounds, mocha-like notes, choc-blueberry hints latently sitting. Smooth, tastes a bit like that vanilla coke you could buy a way back. Has some fruit...

2015 / Clare Valley / Tempranillo

Ferngrove Dragon Shiraz 2015

08:30 Stu.

Interesting mix of aromatics here, bit reductive, combining the fruit and the savoury. Inherently black fruited at its heart, blackcurrant purple florals thrown in. The savoury is in the form of woody spice. It's a mix seen on the palate too: sweet black fruit...

2015 / Frankland River / Shiraz

Sunday, 21 January 2018

Mitchell Harris Sauvignon Blanc Fumé 2016

16:30 Stu.

Leads with a creamy, almost bruleé character, with aromatics of lime and perhaps a suggestion of fennel tops (but that could be the salad we'd made for dinner...) Has a richness, depth, lovely grip. Hints of spice on an excellent length. 93 Tasted on: Saturday 20th January...

2016 / Pyrenees / Sauvignon Blanc

Bremerton Coulthard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

14:45 Stu.

Cracking classic Cabernet: cedar, oak, blackcurrant. It's soft in its form, perhaps doughy oak. Fruit is the primary factor on the palate. Again i was drawn to the word soft , a pillowy - cushioned - entry into the palate. The fruit again present, not a dominating...

2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Langhorne Creek

Bremerton Battonage Shiraz Malbec 2015

08:30 Stu.

Not what I'd consider the most natural bedfellows, just based on a personal lack of awareness of their co-existence. Nonetheless the somewhat smokey Malbec combined with dusky, plummy fruit is a good combination. Throw oak in the mix and you've a particularly attractive...

2015 / Langhorne Creek / Malbec / Shiraz

Saturday, 20 January 2018

Wirra Wirra Hiding Champion Sauvignon Blanc 2017

18:08 Stu.

Wirra Wirra seem to have got the handle on the Hiding Champion this vintage. The passionfruit and gooseberry are the champ's calling card this vintage, seemingly eschewing the herb and grassiness that can often dog the variety. There's a juicy, limey, sour tang to proceedings...

2017 / Adelaide Hills / Sauvignon Blanc

Mr Mick Riesling 2017

14:30 Stu.

Classic lime, kaffir - something suggestive of an oiliness. Bath salts. In summary a good Riesling profile. Juicy acid ahoy! Has a bid of width and spread about it. Then that acid, at first sip its almost searing in its intensity. Not the most going on mind, but...

2017 / Clare Valley / riesling

Cook's Lot Allotment 333 Riesling 2017

09:28 Stu.

Hints of green apple, blossom, florals, with a musky lime. Bath salt, lemon balsam - the aromatics certainly invite. The palate possesses more of a delicacy than the aromatics might suggest. A pervasive tickle of minerality, citrus driven persistent length. Good...

2017 / Orange / riesling

Yelland & Papps Devote Sparkling Vermentino 2016

08:30 Stu.

I love how a good Vermentino can simply evoke this marine spirit; being of the sea, with its briny-cum-sea spray on air character, in tandem with all things spring-laden and green. Well, it does so to this hack anyway. On pour, it's a lively mousse, somewhat aggressively...

2016 / Barossa Valley / Sparkling / Vermentino

Friday, 19 January 2018

Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2016

12:30 Stu.

All stonefruit, supplemented - bolstered even - with a small portion of new (33%) oak. Wheaten and mealy, has the lovely golden suggestion of the setting sun. Feels fleshy, almost chewy on entry. Not quite plump, rounded - not chiselled. That occurs elsewhere...

2016 / Adelaide Hills / Chardonnay

Montalto Pennon Hill Pinot Noir 2016

08:30 Stu.

Deep, heady, black and sour cherry in the mix here. Spiced, richly, almost ginger cake like, cinnamon (warmer year?). Certainly inviting. Soft, generous, the spice a presence on the palate that builds, supplementing a dried earth and forest floor complexity. The...

2016 / Mornington Peninsula / pinot noir

Thursday, 18 January 2018

Ferngrove Frankland River Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

12:30 Stu.

Easy-going Cabernet on offer. Certainly offers classic Cabernet character without being too stern: cedary oak, cassis. All flowing nicely onto a palate that offers that and more. Subtle licorice twists add an additional layer of complexity to the wine. Powdery...

2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Frankland River

Old Jarvie The Even Hand GMS 2016

08:30 Stu.

The blend being 50/45/5 respectively. Choc-fudge meets tilled earth and spice. More about the savoury for me, though fruit presence is noted. Mediums-veering-to full bodied, chewy wine as you roll it across the palate. Grainy tannin, has a licorice/fennel twist...

2016 / grenache / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Wednesday, 17 January 2018

d'Arenberg Stephanie The Gnome With Rose Tinted Glasses Shiraz Sangiovese Rosé 2017

12:20 Stu.

It wouldn't have surprised me if the title for this one broke the field length validation rules of the underlying database for this 'site..... Classic Berry leads here, with herbal tints. It's not particularly pronounced, or overt, no bad thing IMO. Rounded palate entry,...

2017 / McLaren Vale / sangiovese / Shiraz

Hither & Yon Petit Blanc 2017

08:30 Stu.

Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains (aka Frontignac). Soft, inviting, expressly aromatic: characteristic musk and rose. Interesting palate composition, fruit obviously present and set against a backdrop of mouth-watering acid with a powdery, drying phenolic grip. Plenty...

2017 / McLaren Vale / Muscat Blanc

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Out of Step Wine Co. Willowlake Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016

14:30 Stu.

"Pinot has long been on the agenda. We certainly drink a bit of the stuff. But it’s a challenging variety to make & site plays an enormous part in its expression. So there’s been no rush until the right opportunity presented itself." Black cherry, wild strawberry,...

2016 / pinot noir / Yarra Valley

Rock of Wisdom Shiraz Viognier 2016

08:30 Stu.

Always the more serious proposition within the RoW portfolio to my mind. Dark, earthen, leathery, perhaps a touch pruney. Spice accents sit atop, as if to provide a seasoning to the wine. There's more than a hint of creamy vanilla that gently, with some glass time, emanates...

2016 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz / Viognier

Monday, 15 January 2018

Old Jarvie The Saviour Tempranillo Monastrell Garnacha 2016

12:30 Stu.

Temp leading the way: classic Berry driven aroma, a suggestion of rhubarb. Bright and inviting. Succulent middle, fruit singing; bolder towards the final third with the Mataro adding depth and spice. Plenty of flesh on the bones too, delicious, juicy and moreish....

2016 / grenache / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale / Tempranillo

Jacobs Creek Classic Riesling 2017

08:30 Stu.

I shit you not, a bottle of wine purchased for a touch under 6 clams. It speaks well aromatically - pronounced lime, hints of florals, Citrus and zest on the palate, quite sharp and severe - though I do have to remind myself it's sub $6 a bottle. It's vaguely...

2017 / riesling / South East Australia

Sunday, 14 January 2018

Bernard Baudry Les Granges Chinon 2015

12:30 Stu.

Opens with what I can best describe as bucolic aromas: unspoiled, leading to gamey hints. The palate at odds to that: light, lithe, supple and juicy. A hint of the savoury and of the rustic in the mix. Good length, of spice and fruit. Interesting getting my eye...

2015 / Cabernet Franc / Chinon / Loire

d'Arenberg Bonsai Vine GSM 2015

08:30 Stu.

A new one for me, but it appears to have been around some time. Of course the Ironstone Pressings is d'Arenberg's premium GSM, not a bad older sibling to look up to. Good and generous mix of red fruit aromatics on offer here. Soapy hints, red frogs, veering to...

2014 / grenache / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale / Shiraz

Saturday, 13 January 2018

Mino & Co A Growers Touch Shiraz 2016

12:30 Stu.

New producer to me, not entirely sure how they came across my doorstep mind. Lovely packaging and concept, honouring the growers that deliver the fruit that make up the wine. Carries the leather and earthen elements of Shiraz, combined with floral hints (lavender,...

2016 / Riverina / Shiraz

Zonte's Footstep 'Lady Marmalade' Vermentino 2017

08:30 Stu.

Green apple, freshly podded peas, snow pea tendril, briny-seaspray-on the wind scents. Wonderfully aromatic, capturing the essence of the variety. Lavish in its initial offering, full - glycerol almost. Grapefruit, curd, a suggestion of passionfruit - somewhat...

2017 / Fleurieu Peninsula / Vermentino

Friday, 12 January 2018

Rymill Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

12:36 Stu.

Cellar release from Coonawarra stalwart Rymill. My change at this winery over the last year or so, much change. Still, it's what inside that counts, eh? Colour is showing a little development at 5yo. Aroma-wise, it's still pretty fresh, throwing the shackles off and...

2012 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Coonawarra

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