July 2018 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Out of Step Wine Co. Lone Star Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2017

16:30 Stu.

Lone Star sits directly opposite the famed Lusatia Park VY, atop yellow duplex clay (aka grey soils) at an elevation of 225m. Opens with something like a creamed asparagus note, sitting over a tropical fruit and pcitrus base that adds freshness and vitality to that. Minerally,...

2017 / Sauvignon Blanc / Yarra Valley

Dub Style Mataro No.1 2015

08:30 Stu.

"Rocker to rocker, raver to raver Turn up the bass why don't you do us all a favour Rocker to rocker, raver to raver Turn up the bass why don't you do us all a favour" ~ Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub, Apollo440 Except, well, I am. Dub Style. If Inkwell wines...

#ProjectMataro / 2015 / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale

Monday, 30 July 2018

d'Arenberg Sticks n Stones 2014

20:40 Stu.

An odd blend, fusing some of the best the Iberian Peninsula has to offer, being formed of Tempranillo (37%), Grenache (36%), Souzao (25%), Tinta Cao (2%). Has on offer a curious combination of the dark sullen nature that Tempranillo and Grenache sometimes bring to the...

2014 / grenache / McLaren Vale / Souzao / Tempranillo / Tinta Cão

Friday, 27 July 2018

Montalto Teurong Block Pinot Noir 2016

14:30 Stu.

Fruit drawn off of the Springborn Lakes VY, at 30m elevation on Port Philip Bay side of the Peninsula, with 230doz made. At that lower elevation, and with warmer winds drawing over the bay, this is a riper site that takes to inclusion of whole bunch in the fermentation. Kirsch,...

2016 / Mornington Peninsula / pinot noir

d'Arenberg The Bonsai Vine GSM 2016

08:30 Stu.

In part opened in reference to a recent trip to Japan, in part due to the fact that Grenache is one of Chester Osborne's "love children". It initially speaks of a little bunch character, of caramelisation. Red fruits, tilled earth, floral hints giving lift and...

2016 / grenache / Mataro et al / Shiraz

Thursday, 26 July 2018

Ferngrove White Label Cabernet Merlot 2016

15:30 Stu.

Offers a mix of brightish red fruit against some darker spice, clove and pepper and the like. It’s chewy with a hint of leafy bitterness through the middle, which gives length when perhaps least expected. Drinks well given the ask. 87 Tasted on: Wednesday...

2016 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Great Southern / Merlot

Yelland & Papps Devote Greenock Shiraz 2016

08:00 Stu.

Classically proportioned Barossan Shiraz that lures, equally, the unwary and the enlightened. It's your typical oak-kissed riot of red fruit, riper in manifestation with what appears to be a coffee and vanilla bean accent. Not for the faint-hearted, certainly if you've...

2016 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 25 July 2018

Juniper Crossing Cabernet Merlot 2016

16:30 Stu.

Simple, supple and juicy blend of Margaret River stalwarts, Cabernet and Merlot. May not shout particularly of place nor blend, but if you're looking for what may be considered an easy-going Berry-centric red, then this would be a go to. There are elements of...

2016 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Margaret River / Merlot

Chateau Yaldara Foundations Sauvignon Blanc 2017

16:30 Stu.

Classic Hills Sauvignon Blanc, more of the aromatic Gooseberry up front here - the aromatic lure, so to speak. The palate offers up a citrus lead profile: lemon, grapefruit, with a zestiness that further enlivens. There's a phenolic hint that adds to a further sense of...

2017 / Adelaide Hills / Sauvignon Blanc

Tuesday, 24 July 2018

Alkoomi Frankland River Sauvignon Blanc 2017

16:30 Stu.

Feint aromatics here, certainly not the pungent and overt herbaceous style. Instead there's a little glacé pineapple and a mere suggestion of lemongrass. Lime, lemongrass and more tropical fruit lay a swathe across the palate. There's a citrus suggestion via some lemon...

Mitchell Sevenhill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

08:30 Stu.

Even at eight years old this is still throwing a fair whack of fruit here. The requisite black fruits that one might expect from a Cabernet are present and correct. That this comes from a good vintage and from a good vintage for Clare reds is noted, that the winery...

2010 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Clare Valley

Monday, 23 July 2018

Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2017

16:30 Stu.

Carries a little of the grass and herbaceous character married to a little pear drop character. Clean and crisp, with snap to attention acidity. It's tropical fruit nature, married to lime and lemongrass, adds to the sense of enjoyment, elevating it from the mundane Sauv...

2017 / Adelaide Hills / Sauvignon Blanc

d'Arenberg The Derelict Vineyard Grenache 2014

08:30 Stu.

Derelicte! Something about this just makes me think of Zoolander. Derelicte! Anyway, to the wine one supposes, it's a riot of fruit - fairly ripe, and sugar crusted. As I imagine. Towards the fuller spectrum. The palate is somewhat...

Sunday, 22 July 2018

Riversdale Estate Musca Syrah 2015

18:41 Stu.

Laden with red fruit, it smells at once both fresh and also carrying a little undertow of sour fruit, a little like a bloody mary meets a beetroot sour. Hints of whole bunch inclusion with savoury elements adding to the aromatic profile. Fine, silken and medium bodied wine. Fine tannic profile with spice and pepper bolstering the final third. It's a wine that grows in stature through the palate,...

2015 / Syrah / Tasmania

Friday, 20 July 2018

Bremerton Betty & Lu Sauvignon Blanc 2017

14:30 Stu.

Unmistakable Sauvignon Blanc, at least the overt and pungent aromas that can afflict the variety have been tempered somewhat here, more in the way of green capsicum with the requisite gooseberry. Clean, crisp and balanced. Fans of the variety will be more than happy here....

2017 / Langhorne Creek / Sauvignon Blanc

Thursday, 19 July 2018

Shottesbrook Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2017

14:30 Stu.

Classic Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc, an aromatic riot of the gooseberry, grassiness - both meeting sweeter accents via a little blackcurrant leaf and passionfruit. Crispness and freshness, bolstered by tropical fruit. Has a bit about it and some. Solid Hills Savvy for...

Wednesday, 18 July 2018

Shaw Vineyard Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2015

14:30 Stu.

Found an overlooked stash of samples in the downstairs fridge. Poor logistics, no-one but myself to blame here. Sem/ Sauv here with a few years on it. Aromatically it's all lemon/lime citrus, veering toward a pineapple and honeyed note. Palate wise, there remains a tension between acid and fruit, against a chalky texture that pulls things up a little short. 86. Tasted on: Tuesday 17th July, a Fruit...

2015 / Canberra District / Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon

St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

08:30 Stu.

Deep, rich; tobacco leaf, coffee bean and mocha. Deep and heady concoction, certainly classy Cabernet, if not necessarily Coonawarra. Leaf, fine tickle of tannin across the palate. A lightness on entry, that balloons and somewhat grows in stature and presence....

2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Coonawarra

Tuesday, 17 July 2018

d'Arenberg Custodian Grenache 2015

20:00 Stu.

This is a Grenache in the firmer, riper mould. There's a crush of red fruit on offer, raspberry in the main with a little cranberry softness around the periphery. Soft, a plushness, suppleness and roundness to the wine. Tannin is powdery, crunchy with a gentle...

2015 / grenache / McLaren Vale

Monday, 16 July 2018

Edenflo Eden Valley Syrah 2017

11:47 Stu.

Three samples from Andrew Wardlaw rocked up on the doorstep unannounced, and some wines - just as guests are - are more welcome than others! Andrew has a background in viticulture - starting out his career at Henschke as Prue Henschke's trainee; citing both Dom Torzi...

2017 / Eden Valley / Syrah

Saturday, 14 July 2018

Toolangi Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2016

08:30 Stu.

Following on from the 2015 [Review] and still contract made by Yering Station's Willy Lunn. It's a pleasure to stick the olfactory organ into the glass with this. As per previous reviews, it's really about the primacy of fruit, square and centre: sour cherry, blackberry,...

2016 / pinot noir / Yarra Valley

Friday, 13 July 2018

Yelland & Papps Divine Shiraz 2014

14:03 Stu.

Comes off a Greenock vineyard planted in the early 60s; 1076 bottles produced (bottle #1009). Pretty hands-off in the winery, a small percentage (18%) of new French oak, seasoning, for 27 months before being bottled, both unfiltered and unfined. Deeper representation...

2014 / Barossa / Greenock / Shiraz

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz 2014

08:30 Stu.

At four years old it presents a position of elegance and freshness. There’s a hint of gum leaf that can often be seen if Clare Valley reds, not overpowering, rather it lends a freshness. Cool and composed on the palate, that gummy/ mintiness is further evident. Straddled...

2014 / Clare Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 4 July 2018

Mr Riggs Scarce Earth Shiraz 2014

05:08 Stu.

I've not heard so much of McLaren Vale's much vaunted 'Scarce Earth' initiative of late. This bottle here carrying that mark simply around the neck foil. Upon enquiring the same of the twitter I subsequently learned that the initiative has been pulled, with no...

2014 / McLaren Vale / Shiraz / Single Vineyard

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