Bremerton Battonage Chardonnay 2018

Citrus and a hint of curd, slight cheesey note with subtle spice from a touch of wood.

Variously slick and glossy, a generous textural spread laying a swathe across the palate. Feeling rich yet with a clip of flinty like acidity that sets the rhythm. Always in proportion, a well balanced and generous example from the vintage. 92 

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st January 
Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.bremerton.com.au/

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Altus Rise Wildlight Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Milk chocolate, cedar, wild herb and garrigue like notes. Glimpses of vanilla when first opened.

Latterly hints of damson and plum, sitting in front of darker char and earth. Carries itself well, the most complex of the Wildlight releases, if still missing the depth to elevate the wine further. 89

Tasted on: Monday 3rd February 
Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://altusrise.com.au/

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Pewsey Vale Prima 23GR Riesling 2019

Fleshy tropical fruits, mango pulp; smells as a Weiss bar tastes.

Palate shows something approaching a red apple, stonefruit and citrus mix, both in flavour and also with a textural and fleshy width married to some citrus derived length. 

At 23/gr it's borderline medium sweet, compared to a more off-dry offering around 14/15. The distinction is important, yet the beauty of this style is the ability to lap up heat of (very generic, I know) South-East Asian cuisine. 92 

Tasted on: Thursday 16th January
Source: Sample
Price: $28
Alcohol: 9.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.pewseyvale.com/

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Jacquart Mosaique Brut NV

Stonefruit, apricot marmalade, hints of brioche/ Danish pastry; there's an umami - savoury in a sweet spot - like hint lurking in the background - adding depth.

Green apple, grapefruit, citrus and stonefruit. Fine minerally acidity, on the back of a good length. Toast and nuts across the palate too. Good complexity here, with an inherent drinkability. 93 

Tasted on: Friday 24th January
Source: Sample
Price: $70
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://www.champagne-jacquart.com/
Sample courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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Dalrymple Sauvignon Blanc 2018

A very expressive example here, showing the characteristic gooseberry that the variety is renowned for, yet augmented with tropical hints. It seems that the fertile lands and relative cool of Piper’s River district of North-East Tasmania has served to dial this one up to 11!

Beneath that, on the palate, sits a citrus tang with a gentle phenolic edge, evident of some texture building . The acidity freshens and draws the palate long on a dry finish.

A pop of citrus at its conclusion adds a final flourish, an amuse bouche if you like, to cleanse and prepare the palate for a repeat instance. 92 

Tasted on: Thursday 16th January
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.dalrymplevineyards.com.au/

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Out of Step Wine Co Willowlake Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Soft, sensuous - that's just the aroma - similar textural feel on initial entry to the palate. 

It steps up a notch, minerally and flinty - almost gunsmoke like - with a deep and long finish that is seemingly perpetual. Jeez these fellas make exquisite booze, poised and seemingly delicate, yet with that intense length and duration of finish. This indeed is top drawer wine. 95 

Tasted on: Wednesday 11th March 
Source: Sample
Price: $28
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.outofstepwineco.com/

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Jules Taylor Gruner Veltliner 2018

Stonefruit with a subtle white pepper and mace-like edge, the seasoning to the fruit. It's aromatically poised, the seasoning tickling the olfactory organ.

Subtlely worked texture, a pinch of phenolics with a fine minerality across the backbone of the palate. Subtlety, balance, guile. It's a delicate wine that will have you yearning glass after glass. 92. 

Tasted on: Friday 20th March 
Source: Sample
Price: $25
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: www.julestaylor.com
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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Rusty Mutt Catnip Viognier 2019

Unmistakeable stonefruit meets citrus profile, quince and a mere touch of honeyed nuance adding further. I thought there was a touch of wood on show, yet it's all stainless and any flesh and spice is from variety and winemaker's hand alone.

Textural, spiced flourishes and bearing some pickled ginger - hallmark of a good Viognier. Bang on, well made. 92 

Tasted on: Tuesday 25th February 
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.rustymutt.com.au/

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Bremerton Special Release No Added Preservative Shiraz 2019

A second release of this preservative free Shiraz from Lnaghorne Creek's Bremerton - the first opportunity I've had to look at the wine. 

Shiraz aromatics on steroids; fresh, vibrant and fragrant. Free from the shackles of oak that can suppress fruit, instead it's all manner of  black fruit, in the manner of blackberry, plum and damson.

The palate is succulent, juicy and silken - spending four months on lees - in what I see as an aid to help polymerise tannins and to act as a natural preservative for the wine. 

Subtle peppery hints, fine grain of tannin - both building flavour, length and interest. An excellent addition to the portfolio. 91 

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st January 
Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.bremerton.com.au/

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Mérite Q Merlot 2016

For all that Merlot is maligned, it's a pleasure to see another producer giving the due care and attention this noble variety deserves. 

It's a single vineyard wine from Wrattonbully in South Australia, made from a single clone - Q45 - one of a number of new clones now available in Australia that could well redeem the variety.

Conveys a brightness, an aromatic freshness, in fact one that could perhaps remind of Cabernet Franc. An initial juiciness on the palate gives way to a fine grained structure that carries with it a depth of flavour. Milk chocolate, plum, barest hint of Mediterranean herbs all flow effortlessly, creating a sensory memory of a wine that exudes sheer class. 93

Tasted on: Wednesday 4th March 2016
Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.meritewines.com/

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Mesh Riesling 2019

Mesh is a long-standing collaboration between Robert Hill-Smith of Yalumba and Jeff Grosset. Made using Eden Valley fruit.

Very fragrant and very much in the lime and browning lime spectrum. Something that I took to be a little like Thai Basil in the mix. The usual mix of citrus derived elements that add to the freshness and style. 

Possesses quite a delicate palate, the acid present, without being a full on aggressive style. And that to me is its point of differentiation, it's incredible finesse that it possesses and carries with assured conviction across the line. 93 

Tasted on: Sunday 12th January 
Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.meshwine.com/

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