September 2020 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Tuesday, 22 September 2020

Domaines Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Viognier 2019

16:30 Stu.

I think these may be Dan Murphy's exclusive imports into Australia. Chicken stock and stonefruit, soft and inviting. Luscious, a textural interplay across the palate, veering towards a viscosity that pulls forward stonefruit juice. Moderate length of flavour,...

2019 / France / Pays d"oc / Viognier

Gartelmann ‘Wilhelm’ Shiraz 2017

08:32 Stu.

Plum, blackcurrant, elements of hedgerow that lend a savoury edge. Latterly, sand and earthen notes, lending something like a sweet spiced air. The palate follows that through with an air of conviction, soft and succulent - just carrying a suggestion of residual...

2017 / Hunter Valley / Shiraz

Sunday, 20 September 2020

Campos do Viento Tempranillo 2019

16:30 Stu.

Carries the air of earth and baked raspberry - like you'd find in a baked muffin; fruit, yet not sweet. Feels lighter across the palate, at least initially, before a darker manifestation sets in. Suggestions of black pepper and clove, a carry of decent length....

2019 / La Mancha / Spain / Tempranillo

Angullong Merlot 2018

08:30 Stu.

Earth, gamey vibes, latterly the suggestion of tobacco emerges - lending a smokey air. Feeling fresh across the palate, youthful and with something like an olive skin vibe. The structure bolsters the youth and vitality of the wine. Well made, another...

2018 / Merlot / Orange

Saturday, 19 September 2020

Wirra Wirra Mrs Wrigley Rosé 2020

16:30 Stu.

Kiss of berry fruit on the nose, soft and succulent, by way of strawberry and a touch of raspberry. Flowing through onto the palate, with a crisp delight, that both arrests the fruit flavour and aroma, yet also seeks to allow the same to gently tug along the finish. There's...

2020 / grenache / McLaren Vale / Rosé

Highgate Shiraz 2016

08:30 Stu.

Subtle hints of char, offsetting deep and dense plum and mulberry fruit. Mudgee is known - rather, renowned - for its deep and flavoursome wines, this no exception. 90 Tasted on: Wednesday 29th July Source: Sample Price: $25 Alcohol: 14.8% Closure:...

2016 / Mudgee / Shiraz

Friday, 18 September 2020

Entropy Wines Chardonnay 2019

16:30 Stu.

Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay, rich and powerful from the off. There's a slight saline and reductive note, more so than the presence of fruit. The palate is variously - and impressively - creamy, toasty, flinty and on a saline length. Add in a touch of phenolics...

2019 / Chardonnay / Mornington Peninsula

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2018

08:30 Stu.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Shiraz (37%) and a small addition of Cabernet Franc (1%) in mainly old oak (79%), the balance being new. Palate presence wins this one out, classy tannin profile as ever, fine and with a mouth coating presence. It's for the...

2018 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Wrattonbully

Thursday, 17 September 2020

Yangarra Blanc 2020

16:30 Stu.

Pretty much a first in Australia, from what I can ascertain, being a take on a Southern Rhone/ CNDP white blend. Some very interesting varieties here. The blend in question being: Grenache Blanc 62%, Clairette 10%, Roussanne 17%, Picpoul 8%, Borboulenc 3%. White florals,...

2020 / Borboulenc / Clairette / Grenache Blanc / McLaren Vale / Picpoul / Roussanne

Gartelmann Wines Diedrich Shiraz 2016

08:30 Stu.

Orange representing for Hunter Valley based Gartelmann Wines, and its 2016 release of the Diedrich; Diedrich being the Grandfather of Jorg Gartelmann. Seemingly thick set wine, purely on aromatic intro. It's a heady mix of fruit, supplemented with oak in...

2016 / Orange / Shiraz

Wednesday, 16 September 2020

Brave New Wine Magical Animal Chardonnay 2019

16:30 Stu.

A Single Vineyard Chardonnay from Porongurup in Western Australia's Great Southern. Has that mealy vibe, generous in its offer, hints of grilled stonefruit. Complexity to boot, adding grilled nuts, a drizzle of citrus too. The palate is a riot too, a...

2019 / Chardonnay / Great Southern / Porongurup

Harewood Estate Shiraz Cabernet 2018

08:30 Stu.

Aclassic Aussie blend. It's seemingly a riot of ripe fruit, smatterings of bay and cedar about it. It feels like a warmer year rendition, from the maritime cool of the Great Southern region. Chocolate, spiced touch. Medium bodied and fine tannins across an expansive...

2018 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

Tuesday, 15 September 2020

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2019

16:30 Stu.

Whole bunch pressed; 2m cold settling in steel then off to 6 old (unsure how old) 600l French oak dwmi-muids. Then 8m on full lees, no Battonage, racked back to stainless before bottling. 400 doz made. An excellent wine, one of focus, precision and texture. Complex...

2019 / Sauvignon Blanc / Wrattonbully

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Reserve 2016

08:30 Stu.

Barrel selection of Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) with the balance being equal components of Cabernet Franc and Shiraz. Sullen on initial opening, the oak (average 84% new) being more prominent and masking the profile of the fruit. The palate is tight,...

2016 / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

Monday, 14 September 2020

Harewood Estate Flux I Shiraz 2016

21:00 Stu.

Fair throw of oak redolent here, new at that, dominating the palate. Light on the palate, as befits its 12%,oak remnants present and lending a sheen and gloss to the wine. Tannins are powder fine, almost cocoa like in profile, yet firmish and penetrating through...

2016 / Great Southern / Shiraz

Sunday, 13 September 2020

Yalumba Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2019

15:46 Stu.

Yalumba branches out to the Limestone Coast to bring this wild ferment Sauvignon Blanc to the table. Whilst offering that initial aromatic calling card of the variety - think passionfruit, lychee and a touch of cut grass - it also has a slight underlying flinty,...

2019 / Limestone Coast / Sauvignon Blanc

Blue Pyrenees Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

09:28 Stu.

Plum, Mulberry - notes of vanilla, Chocolate, cedar, even a touch of mint that cascades onto the palate. Quite light on regards the remainder of the palate. Subtle tannin profile, more of the mint. Very easy going, a disappearing kind of wine! 89 Tasted...

2017 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Pyrenees

Saturday, 12 September 2020

Pikes The Assemblage SMG 2017

08:16 Stu.

Opens with a reductive, meaty note - seemingly befits what is ostensibly a 'Rhone' blend, Shiraz dominant. Supple, medium bodied wine, a fine rasp of tannin with black pepper nuances spread across the palate. Easy going all up, more for now, although one suggests...

2017 / Clare Valley / grenache / Mataro et al / Shiraz

Friday, 11 September 2020

Jules Taylor Grüner Veltliner 2020

16:30 Stu.

Strong intensity here, can't have been in bottle too long. It's varietal, at least, a primary offering of white pepper, white florals, suggestions of herb, red apple skins. Intense acidity immediately apparent on the palate, some palate texture, width and weight...

2020 / Grüner Veltliner / Marlborough / New Zealand

Yangarra PF Grenache 2020

08:30 Stu.

Seemingly a new addition to the Yangarra range. The Shiraz version of this preservative free (PF) wine has long been a go to at Chateau Vinsomniac, so the Grenache version was hotly anticipated. Pouring a bright, vibrant, magenta hue - positively radiant. It opens...

2020 / Biodynamic / grenache / McLaren Vale

Thursday, 10 September 2020

Harewood Estate Flux III Chardonnay 2018

16:30 Stu.

A Chardonnay to get stuck into, mealy and minerally with toasty oak supplementing stonefruit, a suggestion of grapefruit citrus and creamy, almost custard apple like, character. In short: dive in. Hints of oak on entry, fine lines of acidity that run the length...

2018 / Chardonnay / Great Southern

Tim Adams Schaefer Shiraz 2014

08:30 Stu.

Aged in 100% new French for 24 months - and boy does it show. It's released as a 4 year old, so additional bottle time. The Schaefers were the original growers, their vineyard subsequently purchased by Tim Adams. The time in oak is immediately apparent, lending...

2014 / Clare Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Adelina Refusal to Lie Chardonnay 2018

16:30 Stu.

Leads with green apple, a very strong - almost confected note thereof - aroma. It's not over powering, just firm in its presentation. Supplement that with citrus and you might just get the suggestion as to how this presents itself. Creamy across the palate, perhaps...

2018 / Adelaide Hills / Chardonnay

Blue Pyrenees Richardson Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

08:30 Stu.

Touch of gum leaf, choc-mint-eucalypt, over cassis and blue fruit. It's fragrant, yet seemingly reticent to come forward initially. Soft, silken and sensuous is how one might describe the palate. A fair throw of fruit seems to dominant the palate, youthful more...

2018 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Pyrenees

Tuesday, 8 September 2020

Cobaw Ridge Skinsy Chardonnay 2018

16:30 Stu.

Not sure that 'Skinsy' is its actual name, but we'll go with that for now. 100% Estate grown, biodynamic and organically grown fruit. One half fermented on skins prior to pressing after 3 weeks and then matured in old oak for 2 years. The second portion left on skins for...

2018 / Chardonnay / macedon

Vanguardist Blewitt Springs Grenache 2019

08:30 Stu.

The bottle comes adorned with a textile label, if nothing more it serves as a very tactile introduction to the wine as you extract the capsule from the bottle. The aromatics, nuanced, awaiting time to unfurl. Yet delve unto the palate, it's as if you're taken...

2019 / grenache / McLaren Vale

Monday, 7 September 2020

Golden Grove Rosé Brose 2020

16:30 Stu.

I tasted two separate bottles over consecutive weeks, taking notes on each, for no other reason than I could. Challenging vintage conditions in his home region saw winemaker Ray Costanzo source fruit from the Chalmers Vineyard out at Mildura to create this Rosé,...

2020 / Mildura / Sagrantino / Vermentino

Heartland Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

08:30 Stu.

Something more of a fruit forward Cabernet; Plum and damson notes sitting over cedar and hay. Fine, dry, powdery tannins cast across the palate. Dark fruit backing up in reserve. Feels youthful, yet classy and restrained. Tannins latterly reassert in a chalky manner....

2017 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Langhorne Creek

Sunday, 6 September 2020

Harewood Estate Denmark Chardonnay 2018

16:30 Stu.

The Great Southern wine region is one to watch, tucked somewhat remotely in Western Australia's South East corner - that sentence there laying claim to the most compass references in a review opening! Grapefruit and lemon sherbet notes here; fresh, vibrant and zesty....

2018 / Chardonnay / Denmark / Great Southern

Heartland Directors' Cut Shiraz 2017

08:30 Stu.

Deep Langhorne Creek fruit is married to quality oak that frames things up. Plum, Mulberry, subtle hints of cassis. There's fine tannin presence, casting a long shadow across the palate. Dried herb, oak remnants. Fine wine, delivered on a good length. 93 Tasted...

2017 / Langhorne Creek / Shiraz

Saturday, 5 September 2020

Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 2019

16:30 Stu.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - certainly in my mind - comes with such pre-conceived notions. Yet it’s arguably the region - and the associated stylistic connotations - that defined a new world style. Yet, then along comes a producer such as Jules Taylor, perhaps looking...

2019 / Marlborough / New Zealand / Sauvignon Blanc

Campos du Luz Garnacha 2019

08:30 Stu.

Plum and white pepper lead, guiding the drinker to a palate that then conveys more of a bitter and savoury palate. For all that it feels light through the middle, offering up an airy and bouncy tannin profile. Has a good level of carry of flavour...

2019 / Cariñena / grenache / Spain

Friday, 4 September 2020

Wirra Wirra 12th Man Chardonnay 2019

16:30 Stu.

Adelaide Hills Chardonnay here, barrel fermented, lending a complexity to the aromatics. It's soft and inviting across the palate, dripping with stonefruit as radiant as a setting sun. A dribble of citrus acidity across the finish adds freshness, serving to act...

2019 / Adelaide Hills / Chardonnay

Ochota Barrels the price of silence Gamay 2020

08:30 Stu.

Had the pleasure of the company of both the wife and Mother-in-Law recently at the local wine bar, this leapt off the list and into my glass. New release - and already out of stock ex-winery - it's a single vineyard offering, from the same vineyard as the (Mark of Cain)...

2020 / Adelaide Hills / Gamay

Thursday, 3 September 2020

Pyramids Road Chardonnay 2019

16:30 Stu.

Fruit is bought from Bungawarra towards the Northern end of the region, four barrels - 50% new and the balance being first and second fill. These things matter - there are some that believe they don't - for when you place that most sensitive of organs, and yes I mean your...

2019 / Chardonnay / Granite Belt

JaJa Shiraz 2019

09:30 Stu.

JaJa is owned by the family behind leading online wine retailer Winestar - and maintained as a separate concern. The brand has been going for nearly twenty tears, first opportunity to taste and review on these pages. A fairly thrill throttle manifestation of Barossa Shiraz,...

2019 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Yelland and Papps Devote Shiraz 2017

12:30 Stu.

Fairly rich, sumptuous wine, yet still clocking in at a modest 13.5%. Plummy depths of a very Barossan Shiraz. Soft, barely there tannin registering across the palate, bringing with it fruit subtley accented with oak remnants. Waves of flavour hit you,...

2017 / Barossa Valley / Greenock / Shiraz / Single Vineyard

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