The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

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Friday, 26 November 2021

Jacob's Creek Double Barrel Chardonnay 2020

  16:30    

Figgy kind of Chardonnay here, suggestion of citrus.

Palate shows more of a nutty, marzipan and spice character - that could be the secondary influence of the whisky barrels. Regardless, there's an appealing nature - even an offer of orange peel - to this wine.

Perhaps not the greatest of depth and length of flavour, but a well balanced and rounded proposition. 88

Tasted on: Thursday 4th November
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.jacobscreek.com/

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Patina Pinot Noir 2018

  08:30    

Even at 3y of age it still feels youthful and primary. Berry fruit with a slight sour edge lurking beneath.
It's light on entry - yet with a soft, sensuous and pillowy approach through the middle of the wine.

A line of cool climate acidity threads its way across, forming the wine's spine. There's a lasting finish, tugging further, creating a lingering memory.

It feels deceitful, in a good way: youthful, yet with a suggestion of maturity that is its destiny and what awaits further. 92

Tasted on: Wednesday 17th November
Source: Sample
Price: $45
Alcohol: 13.6%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://patinawines.com.au/

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Thursday, 25 November 2021

Harewood Estate Porongurup Riesling 2021

  16:00    

Lemongrass, citrus, an undercurrent of salinity sitting gently beneath. 

The delicate fragrance not quite in tune for a Riesling packing a punch and tang of flavour.

A zest and minerality performs a lively dance across the palate, down the spine and through to a fine finish. Porongurup is certainly a sub-region to watch, the Harewood Rieslings generally too. 93

Tasted on: Wednesday 13th October
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://harewood.com.au/

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Tuesday, 23 November 2021

Yangarra Rosé 2020

  16:00    

Whole berry, basket pressed; wild yeast Ferment, lees maturation and battonage. Rosé shown some love, the Yangarra way. 

Touch of Turkish Delight and rose petal, softly accented, to entice. 

Crisp, clipped, has a cool approach - in that it feels punchy across the palate. Spiced nuance moving through the final third, driving length. 

Rivals the best of any, so-called, Provençal style Rosé. 93

Tasted on: Friday 4th September 
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.yangarra.com/

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Monday, 22 November 2021

Blue Pyrenees Bone Dry Rosé 2020

  16:00    

I had to double check that I'd not already reviewed this, for my tasting experiences show Rosés typically tend to be released in the same year as declared vintage, not here it would seem!
Strawberry, watermelon, touch of dried herb in the mix.

It's dry as, with a wicked crunch through the length of the wine. It's delicate, with a fine veneer on initial entry and following through on a tight phenolic pinch. It has it all: aromatics, flavour, length and a touch of texture. A yes from me. 92

Tasted on: Wednesday 17th November
Source: Sample
Price: $23
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://bluepyrenees.com.au/

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Ballycroft Small Berry Mataro 2017

  08:30    

2.1t hand harvested on 20th April 2017. Spending18m in shaved out American oak.

The residual oak - from the 18m in re-purposed American - is evident on both the aromatics and across the palate. 

It feels right, and deep, and with the warmth of its alcohol and oak vessel. 

Fennel pollen on the nose; fruit is present: plum and black cherry depths - for which the variety is renowned - succeed in drawing the imbiber in. It still feels young, even at 3y of age. 

Over time it settles, becoming a more composed wine, at ease with itself. The back end sees the addition of Dutch liquorice, adding its mark across the finish. 91

Tasted on: Monday 5th October 
Source: Sample
Price: $45
Alcohol: 14.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.ballycroft.com/

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Sunday, 21 November 2021

Tim Adams Riesling 2020

  16:30    

Classic lemons and limes - not you'd expect anything else, or want more in a classic Clare Riesling. 

More lime across the palate, classic profile, touch of citrus zip, zing and zest - albeit with the dial turned down a touch. Still, refreshment personified. 91

Tasted on: Saturday 26th September 
Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.timadamswines.com.au/

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Domaines Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2019

  08:30    

Fine and powdery - cocoa like - tannins here; savoury with a smattering of fruit. 

There’s faint touches of old and drying tobacco, olive skins, and it veers toward to something cocoa like. Seeming somewhat devoid of personality and interest, yet without fault. 

The finish is dry, firm, with a residual and persistent length. 87

Tasted on: Tuesday 22nd September
Source: Sample
Price: $16.99
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Cork
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.palatepr.com/

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Saturday, 20 November 2021

Blue Poles Amato Vino Marsanne 2020

  16:00    

Fruit from the Blue Poles 'Osmington' vineyard is whole bunch basket pressed by surf loving winemaker

Brad Wehr of Amato Vino. A portion is fermented in amphora, to accentuate the slippery and skinsy feel of the Marsanne. 

Opens with something like honey drizzled pear, but throw away the aromatics - where this absolutely delights is across the palate. 

Take the flavour dial, turn it up to ten, and prepare to have your taste buds assaulted. It's intense pear married to this incredibly slick mouthfeel, riding along on this electrifying acidic line that positively jolts the palate to life.  94

Tasted on: Thursday 3rd September 
Source: Retail
Price: $35
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://amatovino.com.au/

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Angullong Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

  08:30    

Tasted this some 6m back when it felt somewhat hollow, time has fleshed it out - a wine for the times,
when extended Covid isolation has led to more sedentary lifestyles and anecdotal tales of weight gain. I digress. 

Cedar, Bay, hints of tomato leaf. Chocolate appears in the frame occasionally, shifting in and out with the ebb and flow of aromatics. 

The palate is fine, with tannins to suit, touch of fleshier fruit in profile to broaden the wine to the finish. 90

Tasted on: Friday 7th August 
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.angullong.com.au/

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Friday, 19 November 2021

Golden Grove Vermentino 2021

  16:00    

Back to Estate fruit for this vintage. It sees 20% Barrel fermentation left on lees for 2 months and 9% being fermented on full skins for 10 days.

A beautifully aromatic wine, florals and with more than a throw of stonefruit in the frame.

An initial textural spread upon entry gives way to a zesty minerality. It's fresh and refreshing, on a generous length of acidity that flows and that peachy subtlety is just refreshment personified. Superb. 93

Tasted on: Saturday  9th October
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.goldengroveestate.com.au/

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Harewood Estate Denmark Pinot Noir 2021

  08:30    

It's a Pinot in a youthful and fruity vibe, with raspberry, cherry, satsuma plum and a cassis-like air about it.

The palate is light, with a delicate chewy complexion. Barely there tannin profile abuts what seems like a spritz adding energy, vitality and length.

It's not the most complex offering, but for a wine that's brimming and energetic it serves well. 89

Tasted on: Wednesday 10th November
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol:
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://harewood.com.au/

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Thursday, 18 November 2021

Chateau Yaldara Moscato NV

  15:01    

Fresh on approach: Subtle rose water, pear and green apple skins. Slight sorbet like zestiness to proceedings. I'd perhaps unfairly - snobbishly - left this in the sample pile.

There's a gentle spritz, a certain mid-palate sweetness, a tickle of citrus. 

The sugar is certainly there, in excess of 50g residual, yet it has a balance to it. Depending on your preference, this could either go as a gentle afternoon cleanser, or as some prefer pair with a contrasting cheese. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 10th September 
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 9$
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.1847wines.com/

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Angullong Fossil Hill Tempranillo 2019

  08:30    

I picked the bottle up, recording the price and stated alcohol - standard practice - and upon seeing its 14.5% wondered where it might sit stylistically in comparison to old world examples. But why? Why would I feel the need to compare an example from a region 10,000 odd kilometres away to (what arguably is) the benchmark region?

Orange, as a wine producing region, is defined by an altitude, only vineyards above a certain altitude on Mt Canobolas - an old volcano - are allowed to be declared from the region of "Orange, NSW".

To the wine in question: Blueberry, chocolate, cherry - perhaps even in that order.

There's a freshness and vitality across the palate, feeling youthful and energetic in initial entry. Wickedly medium bodied, belying that stated alcohol that served as an intro to this note, with a plushness.

Fine, meshed tannins. Chocolatey richness with a residual lick of fruit through to the finish. A delight. 92

Tasted on: Thursday 2nd September
Source: Sample
Price: $28
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.angullong.com.au/

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Wednesday, 17 November 2021

De Bortoli Blue Pinot Gris 2020

  16:30    

I didn't read the accompanying PR at first and expected this to actually be blue with some adjunct. 


So why blue: as the press release actually states:"Blue evokes feelings of calmness, trust and confidence, paired with the dragonfly and butterfly which symbolise hope, change and freedom. That is what De Bortoli’s new BLUE Pinot Gris is all about." 

Very aromatic offering here: ripe pear, apple skins and florals - all giving aromatic lift and presence.

Textural, a generosity of weight to the palate. The pear is prominent, spice, phenolics adding a drying conclusion to the finish. Good spring drinking. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 2nd September
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: debortoli.com.au

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Yangarra Noir 2019

  08:30    

Grenache, 62%; Mourvedre, 12%; Shiraz, 15%; Carignan, 6%; Cinsault, 3%; Carignan, 6%.

A true Southern Rhone blend beyond the usual suspects of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre; each component handled separately, prior to final assemblage. 

Smells a touch rooty on opening, again I stress there's no bunch component, yet 50% whole berry. 

It's light, slick and racy across the palate - a juiciness that cannot be escaped and fails not to freshen. A light rub of tannin, gentle maceration ensuring a fine extraction and delivering length. 

No artifice, all expression of fine fruit and the winemaker's craft. 92

Tasted on: Thursday 10th September
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.yangarra.com/

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Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Pizzini Riesling 2021

  16:36    

Riesling was the first variety planted by the Pizzini family back in 1978, serving to remind of their deep and long connection to the region and industry.

Pure and nigh glacial, a cool and crisp representation of the variety from the King Valley.

There's a subtlety to the fruit, a light tang of citrus that casts a fine shadow through to the finish.

Acidity is present, but manages to move beyond the linear and battery acid like examples of elsewhere. 91

Tasted on: Tuesday 21st September
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 11%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.pizzini.com.au/

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Golden Grove Sangiovese 2021

  08:30    

Vibrant and juicy style of Sangiovese here. Unsure what the Sangiovese/ Chianti equivalent of a 'Joven' style is - but I'd offer that this is it personified.!

It's delicate, fruit forward and with the merest hint of tannic crunch. It's a loose and 'open weave' style of wine, free and easy in its style. 91

Tasted: Saturday 9th October
Source: Sample
Price: 35
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Sample

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Monday, 15 November 2021

Alkoomi White Label Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2021

  16:27    

Passionfruit, citrus, rock melon. It's a fruity, tropical number that provides refreshment from the go.

Pithy citrus across the palate, touch of bittering in there too - a useful counterpoint.

It's really about up front refreshment, not so much through the finish. Will serve well ice cold, on a blistering day. 88

Tasted on: Tuesday 9th November
Source: Sample
Price: $21
Alcohol: 12.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.alkoomiwines.com.au/

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Wirra Wirra Woodhenge Shiraz 2018

  08:30    

Big and bold, plenty of oak on show too - both French and American, 40% of which is new, the latter seemingly dominating - what more would you want from 'Woodhenge'? 

For that heft and brawn, it's fairly supple across the palate, initial remnants of oak subside to give way to softer red fruits, raspberry and the like. 

It's soft and approachable yet with a depth and firmness, as good as I recall Woodhenge being in recent years. Good to go now, or rewarding the patient 2030. 92

Tasted on: Tuesday 1st September 
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://wirrawirra.com/

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Wednesday, 10 November 2021

Pizzini Arneis 2021

  16:00    

Delightfully fragrant example: white florals, stonefruit - and dripping with juice - hint of white pepper in the mix too, somewhat unexpectedly.

Light and dry; open, airy and inviting kind of wine with just a powder puff suggestion of grape tannin across the middle.

This would kick-off a lunch superbly, perhaps zucchini flowers or fritters maybe? Something light, to match the sense of being of the wine. 92

Tasted on: Friday 5th November
Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.pizzini.com.au/

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Tapanappa Definitus Pinot Noir 2018

  08:30    

For a fuller background description as to the origins of the Definitus, please refer to the 2017 review.

A very expressive example from the off. Wonderful aromatics, yet cast that aside and take delight in the sheer power and depth across the palate.

Tight and minerally tannin is bound up on the palate, supporting an initial fruit presence that yields to the Asian spice that penetrates long across the middle. 96

Tasted on: Sunday 14th March
Source: Sample
Price: $90
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://tapanappa.com.au/

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Tuesday, 9 November 2021

Edenflo Lemon Krush 2021

  16:00    

Eden Valley Semillon and Chardonnay with extended skin contact. Creates a lightly cloudy wine, almost lemon barley like in appear. Krushing it.

Grapefruit, dried ginger, preserved lemons. Fresh style - yet I'd suggest the palate is where the real excitement is.

A textural deliciousness married to a minerally zing, a three-way unison with a spine of acid carrying this one through the finish.

There's a savoury edge to the wine through its final third, you think you have its mark, and yet it delivers something more. At turns it's an ultra-refreshing wine, a textural wunderkind, then overall a wine of class and refined length. Big fan here. 93

Tasted on: 17th June 2021
Source: Sample
Price: $35
Alcohol: TBC
Closure: DIAM
Website: https://edenflowines.com.au/

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Dalrymple Cottage Block Pinot Noir 2019

  08:30    

Captivating aromatics: hibiscus, violets - floral and with subtle res/ black/ blue fruit mix.

Soft, sensuous, betraying the stated alcohol content. Tannin is fine, structured,  with freshening acidity that speaks to both cooler climes and an ability to cellar.

The epitome of ethereal; fine boned, delicate and almost haunting as to its conclusion. 94

Tasted on: Friday 30th July
Source: Sample
Price: $64
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.dalrymplevineyards.com.au/

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Monday, 8 November 2021

Blue Pyrenees Rosé NV

  16:30    

Pale bronze/ copper skinned wine on pour. Bright in glass, light strawberry wafting. 

Touch of fruit sweetness on taste: strawberry, raspberry - certainly in that red berry spectrum,with red apple skins supplementing. 

Gentle bubbles cascade across the palate. Balanced, but narrow in profile. Decent length about it too, on a dry length. Good Midweek sparkler - as tasted at The Vinsomniac HQ. 89

Tasted on: Thursday 10th September 
Source: Sample
Price: $28
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: DIAM
Website: https://bluepyrenees.com.au/

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Lambert Estate First Chapter Shiraz 2019

  08:30    

Classic Barossa Shiraz in profile. Deep plum, Mulberry, kiss of oak just there.

The palate shows a sweetish fruit profile, firmish grain of tannin and a lick of - well - licorice through the finish. Solid Barossan Shiraz, a crowd pleaser all the way. 90

Tasted on: Saturday 28th August
Source: Sample
Price: $TBC
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.lambertestate.com/

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Sunday, 7 November 2021

Huntington Estate Pinot Noir Rosé 2021

  16:36    

Has beautiful visual appeal, I'm sure it would entice on looks alone. It pours a pale dusky pink, the kind
seen on a Summer's fading sun.

It conveys a floral and confectioner's berry aroma, a sensation that flows onto the palate.

It's consistent in its presentation, with a bold profile. There's hints of red apple, strawberry, citrus and even veering to what seems a tropical bent to it. Summer personified. 90

Tasted on: Wednesday 4th August
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 12.3%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://huntingtonestate.com.au/

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Thursday, 4 November 2021

DAOSA Natural Reserve 4th Release NV

  21:11    

This wine made me stand up and pay attention, even now some 48 hours later it continues to haunt me and make me re-appraise it.

Initially autolytic characters with wholemeal bread in the frame dominate. Stonefruit, Quince - for those fruit characteristics it throws more of a savoury bent.

A tangy lemon/lime citrus greets you on entry, it's minerally with a somewhat coarse nature across the palate. It's of generous length, a firm spine of acidity provides the frame about which the wine hangs. 

If serving this in one sitting, it may actually benefit from a decant, doing so will see some of the efferevescence subside, but bring forward more of a saline/ sherry like character. It's a wine that will likely develop. It's youthful now, yet possessing the pedigree to come together. 94+

Tasted on: Wednesday 3rd November
Source: Sample
Price: $50
Alcohol: 12.9%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://terreaterre.com.au/

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