August 2020 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Friday, 28 August 2020

De Bortoli Grenache Wizardry Grenache Blanc 2020

16:30 Stu.

For me, personally, the pick of the Grenache Wizardry range from De Bortoli, also comprising a Rosé and Grenache Noir. This example coneys a touch of honey, with straw, grapefruit and zest. The palate is fresh and lively, general citrus zip and freshness...

2020 / Grenache Blanc / heathcote

Heartland Spice Trader Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

08:30 Stu.

As I sit in a suburban setting in one of Brisbane’s inner suburbs, a cool and somewhat damp day, there’s just something about this wine that allows the imbiber to perhaps be transported elsewhere. Upon opening, the wine with earthen notes, topped with dark...

2015 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Langhorne Creek

Thursday, 27 August 2020

Harewood Estate Flux VII Pinot Gris Gewürz Riesling 2018

16:30 Stu.

A trio of Alsatian stalwarts, here growing alongside each other in Great Southern's Frankland River. It's comprised of Pinot Gris (60%), Gewurztraminer (30%) and Riesling (10%). Certainly an interesting blend. The muskiness of the Gewürz is immediately evident,...

2018 / Gewürztraminer / Great Southern / Pinot Gris / riesling

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc Shiraz 2018

08:30 Stu.

Fruity, plummy, touch of that pippy lift that Cabernet Franc can often have. Milk chocolate, sage - certainly that creamy tinge that particular herb lends. The depth of Shiraz is certainly conveyed, it's well structured, yet fresh. The apparent contradictions of...

2018 / Cabernet Franc / Shiraz / Wrattonbully

Wednesday, 26 August 2020

De Bortoli Grenache Wizardry Heathcote Grenache 2018

19:05 Stu.

It's not too far a stretch for a renowned producer of Pinot Noir out of the Yarra to make a foray into Grenache from the high and volcanic climes of Heathcote. Initial heft, of dusky and full plum and damson, suggestions of ripeness with a touch of spice and woodsmoke...

2018 / grenache / heathcote

Friday, 21 August 2020

Yelland and Papps Second Take Grenache 2019

08:30 Stu.

A full range of techniques employed here, with varying portions of whole bunch and whole berry, one portion sent to puncheons as whole bunches for carbonic (internal to the grape) maceration. Good work. The depth of fruit on this release is impressive, throwing this...

2019 / Barossa Valley / grenache

Thursday, 20 August 2020

Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2020

16:30 Stu.

Challenging conditions up in the Hills in 2020, yet the S+S team has again crafted a Sauvignon Blanc that stands tall amongst producers of the variety in Australia. It’s nigh crystal clear in glass, yet approach it with a different sense and it offers the unmistakable...

2020 / Adelaide Hills / Sauvignon Blanc

Heartland Shiraz 2018

08:30 Stu.

Opens slightly reductive, veering to meaty pan juices, black fruit with a softer edge of blue fruit. The palate is beautifully balanced, enticing with an almost sweet/savoury mix, both driven by fruit and a complex edge of hedgerow like fruit, supplemented with a...

2018 / Limestone Coast / Shiraz

Wednesday, 19 August 2020

Tellurian Heathcote Rosé 2019

16:30 Stu.

A right old mix of fruit here, being: Shiraz 50%, Nero d’Avola 22%, Grenache 15% and Mourvèdre 13%. Offers gentle red fruit against something like a flint and dried herb backdrop. Bright and fresh line of acidity zips across the palate, casting a textural shadow with...

2019 / grenache / heathcote / Mataro et al / Nero d'Avola / Rosé / Shiraz

Blue Pyrenees Estate Shiraz 2017

08:30 Stu.

Throws a solid aroma of blue/black fruited mix, eucalypt accents and solidified with oak, to frame it all up. Medium to full bodied, carries a fine line of powdery tannin that feathers out across the palate. The flavours here are familiar with that experienced...

2017 / Pyrenees / Shiraz

Tuesday, 18 August 2020

De Bortoli Grenache Wizardry Rosé 2019

16:30 Stu.

Highly perfumed, pot pourri floral aromatics. A savoury lurks underneath, a suggestion of woodsy spice supplementing the initial brightness. Across the palate its wickedly dry, a snap and crackle of acidity with a chalky pucker serve as a soccer player's 1-2, as if...

2019 / grenache / heathcote / Rosé

Tim Adams Lidera Tempranillo 2016

08:30 Stu.

Single Vineyard planting of Tempranillo from the original winery site on Wendouree Rd. Spends two years in new and used (1-2y) oak, comparable to Crianza (check?) in old Rioja money. The presence of the newer portion of oak is unmistakeable, and yet Tempranillo is a...

2016 / Clare Valley / Tempranillo

Monday, 17 August 2020

Yelland and Papps Second Take Shiraz 2019

16:48 Stu.

Numbers: Whole bunch (100%), wild ferment; 100% old French for 11m. Plum and Mulberry depths supported by the delicious whole bunches, that lend spice and savoury nuance to the aromatics. Subtlety of fruit carries long across the palate, prime Barossan fruit...

2019 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 12 August 2020

Heartland Spice Trader Shiraz 2015

08:30 Stu.

A 5yo Shiraz for sub-$20, impressive. Oak remnants, deep plum set fruit. Leafy remnants. The palate conveys a freshness, again the oak is present, giving a gloss and sheen - feeling quite fresh, yet solid, for its years. Finishes aplomb with some great...

2015 / Langhorne Creek / Shiraz

Tuesday, 11 August 2020

Hastwell and Lightfoot Fat n Skinny Picker's Choice Shiraz Tempranillo Barbera 2017

21:19 Stu.

An unusual blend one must say, and it feels like every part of that mix; dark plummy depths and woodsy spice, with a playful middle providing a counterpoint to the two. A lighter touch across the palate, a subtle rub of tannin, flowing to a moderate finish. Dark chocolate...

2017 / Barbera / McLaren Vale / Tempranillo

Monday, 10 August 2020

Yelland and Papps Second Take Vermentino 2019

16:30 Stu.

Envelope purchasers as ever, this Vermentino spending a whopping 313 days on skins, and then successfully engaging the kids press it off. Good engagement. Beautifully skinsy feel and vibe to it, redolent more like a soured beer - another style I sink readily with pleasure...

2019 / Barossa Valley / Vermentino

Zonte's Footstep Lake Doctor Shiraz 2018

08:30 Stu.

Dark plummy vibes, with something like a nutty and biscuit oak backing up. The palate is consistent with the dark fruit profile, supplementing that with spiced nuances and soft tannins that cascade across the palate. This wine feels akin to a plush blanket...

2018 / Langhorne Creek / Shiraz

Sunday, 9 August 2020

Blue Pyrenees Estate Merlot 2017

20:56 Stu.

A blue and black fruit mix, a kiss of vanilla accented oak. Hints of minty eucalypt. Seemingly quite subtle on the aromatics initially, cool and calm. Good structure, fine and chalky tannins provide carry and substance. Fruit presence is there, again that...

2017 / Merlot / Pyrenees

Friday, 7 August 2020

Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

21:35 Stu.

McLaren Vale Cabernet has long been a personal guilty pleasure. Yet it seems overlooked - certainly, historically at least, compared to Shiraz and more recently with emerging varieties perhaps gaining a foothold. A: Battle of Bosworth have been long regarded,...

2017 / Cabernet Sauvignon / McLaren Vale

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