2022 ~ The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

An Australian Wine Blog

Friday, 11 November 2022

Clandestine Vineyards Mourvedre Rosé 2022

17:00 Stu.

Single vineyard Rosé of Mataro. From McLaren Vale. It evokes summer days, of warmth on an evening breeze.Summer berrys, rose petal, warmth on dried earth, baking spice. Crisp and snap to attention palate profile, leading and guiding through the length and finish. Mouth-watering...

2022 / Mataro et al / McLaren Vale / Rosé

Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2018

08:30 Stu.

Cassis and plummy fruit dominate here, fresh and primary.Tannins across the palate are fine, almost silty. Fresh acidity has you salivating, yearning for more - exhibiting what will enable it to cellar well. It feels a touch more comely, rounded in profile - the result...

Thursday, 10 November 2022

Clandestine Vineyards Break Free Deux Rebelles Rosé 2022

18:00 Stu.

Can only assume the two rebels here refers to vintners Trudy and Nick Stacy, at first I was thinking it might be the grape varieties forming the make-up of the wine - but it's 100% Shiraz. With a few tricks - and some skins from Viognier, Gewurz and Riesling - employed...

2022 / Mount Barker / Rosé / Shiraz

Huntington Estate Nouveau 2022

08:00 Stu.

A youthful blend of Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Shiraz. Percentages unknown.Frankly it smells like Pinot Noir, with the red fruit primary - yet supported by a just there savoury edge to frame the wine so. Vibrant, juicy, red fruits abound - exuding a pastille like smoothness across the palate. Very much in the modern vogue, clocking in at a very modest 12.8%. You can go too wrong here. 90Tasted on:...

Wednesday, 9 November 2022

Rotari Gran Rose Millesimato Brut 2016

17:00 Stu.

Deeper salmon hued, 3 years on lees gives the secondary autolytic characters. Stonefruit and red fruits add a softer aspect.The palate has a soft roundness, almost crispy - yet with a crisper, harder edge. A latent edge of fruit sweetness perks things up again, as...

2016 / pinot noir / Sparkling / Trentino

The Little Wine Company Sangiovese 2019

08:30 Stu.

Cracking Sangio from the Hunter here. It's a fruity vibe with just enough of a savoury pitch for interest.Soft and supple on entry, a barely there throw of tannin gains a modest amount of presence to coat the mouth and leave a lasting presence. Lingering acidity for freshness...

2019 / Hunter Valley / sangiovese

Tuesday, 8 November 2022

Huntington Estate Special Reserve Shiraz 2018

17:00 Stu.

Soon to be released - 2017 still available on the web as at November 2022.Heavy set cloak of oak sets out this wine's stall firmly. This is Mudgee Shiraz, with its milk chocolate / mud cake ways over prime black fruit.Classic Mudgee tannins in a package of restraint - beautifully worked within its 13.2% alcohol. Drink 2024 - 2035. 94Tasted on: Monday 31st October Source: Sample Price: $50 Alcohol:...

Robert Stein Dry Riesling 2022

08:30 Stu.

Mudgee Riesling from vines planted in 1976 - some pedigree. Indeed, such is the demand - and quality of - these Robert Stein Rieslings that they have recently undertaken a 2.5 hectare expansion of plantings.As ever an expressive number , it's an aromatic riot of lemons and limes, with floral notes adding their presence. Tangy, with an initial softer mango like note. It flattens out a bit from there,...

2022 / Mudgee / riesling

Monday, 7 November 2022

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2020

18:33 Stu.

Cabernet dominant (81%) with the balance of Shiraz.Black fruit prime here, at least on first showing, for it morphs and shifts - revealing layers amidst the intrigue. Herbal - think thyme, fennel - and savoury notes supplement that. Whilst it feels coiled at this juncture,...

2020 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Wrattonbully

Thursday, 20 October 2022

Harewood Estate Denmark Pinot Noir 2022

14:04 Stu.

Pinot Noir from the maritime cool of Denmark in Western Australia's Great Southern region.It's all Plum, cassis - set against a darker edge, smoked wood and perhaps even a touch meaty in its initial representation. Lithe, juicy - succulent red fruits, again before a darker...

2022 / Denmark / Great Southern / pinot noir

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

Huntington Estate Dry Pinot Noir Rosé 2022

20:52 Stu.

I often just smell this wine and think of the town of my birth, for it evokes that quintessential summer dessert - and summer vibe - of strawberries and cream. A bone dry Rosé, with a curl of berry sweetness licking it's way across the palate. A touch of phenolic presence...

2022 / Mudgee / pinot noir / Rosé

Wednesday, 20 July 2022

De Bortoli Melba Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

08:30 Stu.

Only made in exceptional years, the Melba is named after Dame Nelly (who gave her name to the peach).Forget about any presence of peach - or any stonefruit for that matter - here, it's a classically structured Cabernet: black fruit - think plum, damson, hints of blackcurrant - with savoury edges. Really it's the grippy tannins that win here, coating the palate and giving both length, breadth and depth....

2018 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Yarra Valley

Tuesday, 19 July 2022

Mt Bera Amphitheatre Shiraz Blaufrankisch 2019

17:07 Stu.

Unsure of % of each blend here (based on label).Whilst dense and dark in glass, it evokes a perfume of blue and red fruits - somewhat of a contrast. Blaufrankisch always evokes a very 'blue' aroma, no exception here. The plummy Shiraz notes are also present, all up presenting a very attractive package in intro. The palate is light, supple - without sacrificing depth and a tight grain of tannin. It's...

2109 / Adelaide Hills / Blaufränkisch / Shiraz

Tuesday, 5 April 2022

Edenflo Eden Valley Fresh Prince 2021

20:37 Stu.

Plum, earth, hint of cloveDelicate on entry, the fruit sings, free from encumbrances of excessive oak and artifice. A delicate grip of tannin, a fine rub, fruit resurgence and a splash of acid for juiciness. It's at turns a comfort, yet playful. An embrace, yet also an...

2021 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Eden Valley / Syrah

Sunday, 3 April 2022

Jules Taylor The Jules Rosé 2021

20:39 Stu.

Berry driven nose: strawberries, cream - soft, sensuous.Palate is somewhat rounded and textural. I recommended serving pretty cool - this came wine fridge cold - to flatten the palate and accentuate the back palate. There's enough interest to make this one with broad appeal....

2021 / Merlot / New Zealand / Rosé

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Chardonnay 2021

16:30 Stu.

A sheeer delight from the get go, with grilled peach and toasted hazelnuts. There's a creaminess, almost a milky panacotta like offering, with perhaps a little herb - sage - steeped.The palate is crisp, taut - a certain minerally quality and intensity through the mid to...

2021 / Adelaide Hills / Chardonnay

De Bortoli Organic Shiraz Field 2020

08:30 Stu.

This is De Bortoli's first certified organic wine, off of their Hemley vineyard. Presently they've 6.2% of their Riverina vineyards certified organic, with a goal to make that 10% by 2025.Billed as a 'field blend', but is also 100% Sguraz. Anyway, the wine in question is...

2020 / Riverina / Shiraz

Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2020

16:30 Stu.

Melon meets something like a white pepper and sandalwood nose. Exotic, you might say; deriv,tive you would not.Texture meets a subtle grapefruit acidity. For those familiar with the variety, here it's more of note to state how this example stands out from that crowd. It's...

2020 / Sauvignon Blanc / Wrattonbully

Rock of Wisdom Shiraz 2021

08:30 Stu.

Possibly the most straightforward - think regionality and varietal - of the three releases, this does not detract from its quality.Plum, Mulberry - the palate sees more of the fruit than the nose might suggest. It's medium, maybe just veering to full. It has the 'just there' touch of the winemaker's - allowing the fruit to shine over artifice - moderate texture flow and spread with a suggestion of...

2021 / Barossa Valley / Shiraz

Thursday, 17 March 2022

Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2021

15:30 Stu.

Ripe peach with a throw of toasted oak in the frame. Toast latterly morphs to a spice, grilled hazelnut, a peppery top note.A little creamy texture whips across the palate, oak spice backing that up with an expansive move through the finish. A phenolic touch adds further...

2021 / Adelaide Hills / Chardonnay

Wednesday, 16 March 2022

Clandestine Vineyards Tempranillo Rosé 2021

08:30 Stu.

Geographe. Single vineyard. 6000 bottlesToffee apple, hints of rose and berry. The palate is where I like Tempranillo based roses, this example offering a dry and assured palate threaded with a spine of perpetual acidity. There's a phenolic flourish to add width to that...

2021 / Geographe / Tempranillo

Tuesday, 15 March 2022

Natural Wino Co Organic Lightly Sparkling Rosé 2021

21:35 Stu.

Light Berry kiss with a grassy undertow. Strawberry mousse like flavour on initial entry, a subtle petillence adds a bit of energy and drive. There's a lightness - perceived perhaps, for it's lower in both calories and alcohol - to the body and it sits well across...

2021 / sangiovese / Sparkling

Storm King Wine Co. Vermentino 2021

08:30 Stu.

Storm King Wine Co. is Ray Costanzo's (Golden Grove) side project with wife Jen. The label is named after the body of water just outside Stanhope, where the couple live.This evocatively perfumed Vermentino spends 10d on skins with daily plunging. It speaks of pear, marzipan,...

Monday, 14 March 2022

Rock of Wisdom Grenache 2021

08:30 Stu.

Old Vine Grenache, from Peter and Sofi Hiscock.There's a complexity here that combines a youthful aura married to the depth of flavour that old Vine material brings. The fruit - raspberry, even a suggestion of blue - sings and works in tandem with that depth of flavour...

2021 / Barossa Valley / grenache

Thursday, 3 March 2022

Clandestine Vineyards Pinot Noir 2021

08:30 Stu.

First Pinot Noir from the Clandestine crew, unsurprisingly sourced from the Adelaide Hills - where their excellent Pinot Grigio hails.It's a riot of dark fruit, Plum and black cherry. Yet for that its lithe and supple, a delicious wave of fruit sweeping across the palate....

2021 / Adelaide Hills / pinot noir

Wednesday, 2 March 2022

Mr Mick Sangiovese 2021

20:58 Stu.

Youthful take on Sangiovese - Nuovo, as perhaps it might be best stated.Smells primary, of fresh summer strawberry, cherry and blackcurrant, augmented with a touch of baking spice in the mix. The palate is slick, glossy and fair glides across the palate in an energetic...

2021 / Clare Valley / sangiovese

Wednesday, 23 February 2022

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2019

12:36 Stu.

It's a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc in the following proportions: 50/48/2%.Seing a mix (61/39) of od/new oak for eight monnths; to 4000l foudres for a further 11m.Redcurrant, cedar and bay on the nose. Warming up: chocolate, coffee grounds, earth...

2019 / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz / Wrattonbully

Saturday, 5 February 2022

Tim Adams Skilly Ridge Riesling 2020

08:55 Stu.

White florals, blossom, lavender, a little bruised apple in the frame. Beautiful aromatics, freshness juxtaposed against a little oxidative edge.Minerally, a subtle tang of lime juice across the length of the wine, textural width adding breadth to length and filling...

2020 / Clare Valley / riesling

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