Slow Wine Co Reserve Pinot Noir 2021

Slow Wine Co Reserve Pinot Noir 2021

  12:45    Stu.

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Grown at 960m, fruit from vines established in 1990. Vines of some pedigree and at the margins of what is considered cool climate viticulture.Satsuma plum, baked raspberry, certainly on the leaner side of the red fruit spectrum. There's a lingering freshness to the periphery,...

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Stockman's Ridge Rider Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Stockman's Ridge Rider Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

  12:04    Stu.

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Chocolate, cedary oak, Bay seasoning.Creamy red fruit palate, soft and sensual - it's delicate frame of 13.1% sets the wine up. Easy going and representing good value. Nicely structured, finishes on a medium to firm grain of tannin, moderate acids to clean things up. 91Tasted...

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Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2023

Tapanappa Foggy Hill Pinot Noir 2023

  09:54    Stu.

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Beautiful expression of Pinot Noir and of Foggy Hill, of course.Plum, dark cherry, a lingering undertow of spice, a dab seasoned oak adding its signature.The palate is exquisitely framed: darker fruit presence, it feels polished, a suggestion of newer oak here. Lovely firming...

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Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2022

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz 2022

  07:17    Stu.

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It's a release that needs some time, from the get-go it's somewhat shy and reserved. Slowly it begins to unfurl, offering red and black fruit. Mineral and earthen glimpses, graphite. Something that manifests, broods even, like gunoil - deep in its core. A slow burner, from...

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St Hugo Riesling 2023

St Hugo Riesling 2023

  16:00    Stu.

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Lime and Kaffir lime, veering to an element of browning apple as a segue to pithy grapefruit. Lively, zesty, with a minerally vibe through the middle and final flourish. Good bracing acidity that propels a generous length. Quality wine. 93Tasted on: Wednesday 29th...

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Jean Loron Pinot Noir 2023

Jean Loron Pinot Noir 2023

  08:46    Stu.

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Vin de France Pinot Noir here - broadly meaning it either falls outside a designated region (appellation) or fails to confirm to AOC rules for a variety in a region. Blackcurrant and bramble, it smells cool and is suggestive of an amount of whole bunch in the mix. Savoury,...

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d'Arenberg The Mind Palace Sangiovese 2022

d'Arenberg The Mind Palace Sangiovese 2022

  07:49    Stu.

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Such an enjoyable Sangiovese: black cherry, slight ferrous earthiness.Palate, juicy with a dark vein threading across the palate. Pop of acid to cleans things up, carrying you home.Italians look away now, but with some lamb ragu pallardelle this came up a notch. A yes here....

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Mayfield Vineyard Jonty Met Otto Cabernet Franc 2023

Mayfield Vineyard Jonty Met Otto Cabernet Franc 2023

  08:00    Stu.

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Lovely, joyous vibrancy to the wine - bright, perky, puppy black fruit that pops in the glass! Similarly conveys itself on the palate: core of bright and glossy black fruit, acids in balance and bring flow. Lovely, fine chains of silken tannin to thread it all together....

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Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023

  15:37    Stu.

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Citrus, passionfruit, blackcurrant leaf - subtle underlying fresh herb rounding out the profile.Lovely mid-weight to the palate, yields to a minerally bent that shifts things up a gear. Zesty, lively - with a mouthfilling expanse to it. Definite phenolic presence to the...

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Huntington Estate Grand Reserve Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Huntington Estate Grand Reserve Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

  08:19    Stu.

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Charry oak with roast meat introduction here, it sets its stall early as a wine of substance and heft. It sees 25% new American oak, that certainly adds to the character, especially with 17 months time in it. Yet, a lighter introduction on the palate: blackcurrant/ cassis...

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Henty Farm Malakoff Vineyard Shiraz 2023

Henty Farm Malakoff Vineyard Shiraz 2023

  11:00    Stu.

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A new wine for Henty Farm - with access to fruit from the famed Malakoff Vineyard in Victoria's Pyrenees region. Cool clime vibes: roast and fermenting meats, pan juices. Dried grasses, baked earth. A lovely savoury expression of Shiraz. Lovely minerality to the wine, glimpses...

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Mottura Primitivo Salento 2022

Mottura Primitivo Salento 2022

  16:30    Stu.

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Oil and hazelnut wood vibe here.Milk chocolate and strawberry - it's a curious mix of flavours, mid-bodied but slightly jarring and off-putting. 85Tasted on: Friday 8th December Source: Sample Price: $35 Alcohol: 13% Closure: Screwcap Website: https://www.singlevineyards.com/ Follow...

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earthworks Barossa Shiraz 2022

earthworks Barossa Shiraz 2022

  08:00    Stu.

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Hill-Smith Family Estate label sold through Coles brand liquor stores and some listings.Bramd update has reflected a greater emphasis on connections to the growers that supply the fruit, connection tot hose that - pardon the creative license - work the earth.Plum, mulberry, Char and charred meat. Slickness across the palate, a glide and ease through the middle. Slight drying quality, on a good length....

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The Little Wine Co Vermentino 2023

The Little Wine Co Vermentino 2023

  16:17    Stu.

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Snow pea, confected citrus, suggestion of estery character in the mix. Minerally edge, balanced with fine acids and texture. Good all-rounder. 90Tasted on: Wednesday 13th December Source: Sample Price: $30 Alcohol: 11.8% Closure: ScrewcapSample Courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/ Follow...

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Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz 2021

Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Shiraz 2021

  08:00    Stu.

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Fifty years of this magnificent red blend - here celebrating Yalumba’s Packaging & Development Manager Chris Gerhardy and 51 magnificent years of service!Deep plum notes, cedary oak. The palate is layered, detailed - cascading blackcurrant, silken chocolate and almost reminding of cherry ripe vibes. Fine kiss of vanilla oak, veins of minerally graphite. Give it up to ten years - Superb. 94Tasted...

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Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2023

Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2023

  16:00    Stu.

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Melon, a harder edge of Stonefruit kernel, fig and spice. Initial entry is gentle and textural, leading to an expansive mid-palate through the finish. Burst of energetic tangy-lime acidity closes the wine out. It's cool year credentials and moderate 12.5% acidity self-evident...

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Feudo Arancio Rosso Riserva 2019

Feudo Arancio Rosso Riserva 2019

  08:00    Stu.

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Rich, chocolatey; whiffs of smoke over plum sauce. Slick and glossy entry: plum fruit, bright prime and central to the theme of the wine. Falls off a bit through the final third, not quite matching the bright promise of the early primacy of fruit. That said, still a fair...

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d'Arenberg The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 2023

d'Arenberg The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc 2023

  15:57    Stu.

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A cool vintage shows with a modest 11% stated alcohol.Pink grapefruit, atop a touch of savoury oak nuttiness from a small percentage fermented in barrel, for additional width and body. Lively and fresh, a good swagger of citrus carousing across the palate. Green capsicum...

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Mayfield Vineyard Mrs Crawford Pinot Noir 2023

Mayfield Vineyard Mrs Crawford Pinot Noir 2023

  08:00    Stu.

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A new wine for the Estate range, this Mayfield Vineyard Mrs Crawford Pinot Noir is a nod to Margaret Crawford who owned the property for 65. Hand-picked fruit, 30% whole bunch, French oak for nine months (20% new).Generousity on offer here, a succulent red and black fruit...

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Forrest Chardonnay 2022

Forrest Chardonnay 2022

  15:50    Stu.

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Creamy, nutty, nougat oak on offer. Immediately familiar, inviting - yellow nectarine and fine spice hints.The palate shows a little toast, married to ripe fruit. A lovely balance of fruit and oak in unison here.There's palate weight, width and length - gives an all round...

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d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original 2021

d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original 2021

  08:00    Stu.

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Classic Grenache/ Shiraz blend from McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg.It's seen some moderate price rises over the years but still great value at $22 - especially for a wine that's shown impressive cellar-worthy pedigree beyond its price-point.Leads with the Grenache earthiness...

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Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Haute-Côtes de Beaune 2022

Nuiton-Beaunoy Bourgogne Haute-Côtes de Beaune 2022

  08:00    Stu.

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Honeyed, pale straw - in colour and appeal - citrus.Sterner, steelier edge to the palate: softened with Boxwood honey, Jasmine and honeysuckle. Subtle dribble of peach juice and oak spice. Broadens in profile through the finish. 91Tasted on: Wednesday 14th August Source:...

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Huntington Estate Reserve Semillon 2022

Huntington Estate Reserve Semillon 2022

  16:11    Stu.

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Meyer lemon, quince, a little waxy lanolin.Lovely vibrant acidity, bursting forth on the immediate palate. Lemon sherbet, tangy, latterly lemon balm and browning lime.That acid will serve this wine well over time, expecting to see it broaden in profile with time. 92Tasted...

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Terre à Terres Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022

Terre à Terres Crayères Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022

  10:59    Stu.

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Cabernet Franc, with a dollop of Shiraz (9%) for good measure.Lovely medium bodied wine, the spine displaying an exquisite line of acidity.Aromatically it's a darker mix of fruit: blackcurrant and plum, with some black tea vibes. Love shape and feel through the middle,...

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Domaine Nicolas Potel Petit Chablis 2022

Domaine Nicolas Potel Petit Chablis 2022

  11:47    Stu.

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Briny hints, Beurre bosc pear, Meyer lemon skin. There's a lovely freshness and appeal, leading to a palate that feels tight, clean. Chalk and sea-shell lead-in across the length of the palate. Subtle honeyed-meets fresh green herb bent, Tarragon perhaps. Appropriately...

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Tapanappa Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay 2023

Tapanappa Tiers 1.5m Chardonnay 2023

  07:50    Stu.

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Lovely figgy note gently wafting from the glass here. Add to that ripe stonefruit, pear - it's like a summer salad in a glass. Bracing acidity running the full length of the wine. Citrus, stonefruit - a herbal/ floral note in the mix that I can't quite put a finger on as...

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Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier 2022

Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier 2022

  10:35    Stu.

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The last Friday in April is designated as "International Viognier Day". Unsure who gets to make a call to designate such, regardless Yalumba - without whom the variety might not exist, certainly in an Australian context at least - were kind enough to sling a bottle of their...

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Lyon's Will Chardonnay 2023

Lyon's Will Chardonnay 2023

  12:30    Stu.

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Chardonnay from the Macedon Ranges, a region I feel I know but - admittedly - would be hard placed to definitively place on a map. Chardonnay like this could well challenge that geographic uncertainty. Melon, drizzle of lime, grapefruit tang. Aromas that - logically - flow to the palate, fresh and vibrant.Set before a firmer position, an edge that feels as solid as the name for the region from which...

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Tarras Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020

Tarras Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020

  08:24    Stu.

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Dark cherry, rose petal, plum - almost plum sauce like in presentation.It's a single vineyard Pinot from Central Otago, in New Zealand's South Island.Firmer in style, typical of the region - with is dry environment. Plush, velvet like tannins - with a firmer backstop of...

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Huntington Estate Barrel Ferment Chardonnay 2022

Huntington Estate Barrel Ferment Chardonnay 2022

  17:07    Stu.

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Barrel Ferment Chardonnay from Mudgee's Huntington Estate. Hints of stonefruit in tandem with vanilla and something like a frangipane note. Fragrant, Fruity, an exotic allure. Toast and bite on the palate, a textural swathe slicing it's way across the oral cavity. Balancing...

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Stockman's Ridge Rider Pinot Gris 2023

Stockman's Ridge Rider Pinot Gris 2023

  12:04    Stu.

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Pouring a pale straw, just enough colour for interest.Poached pear and cinnamon notes, a classic combination and varietally true. Suggestion of citrus blossom, white pepper and fennel tops.There's a nice crispness to the wine, in-line with its 12.3% alcohol. Dry and with a lingering acidic freshness. 91Tasted on: Sunday 2nd June Source: Sample Price: $30 Alcohol: 12.3% Closure: Screwcap Website: https://stockmansridge.com.au/Sample...

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Hill-Smith Family Estates Chardonnay Tasting

Hill-Smith Family Estates Chardonnay Tasting

  12:09    Stu.

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I recently had the pleasure of joining an online tasting of Chardonnays from across the Hill-Smith Family Estates portfolio, joining winemakers Heather Fraser (Ringbolt & Yalumba), Marc van Halderen (Heggies Vineyard) and Clive Jones (Nautilus Estate) along with other invited wine media. Each wine was selected on the basis of representing the Terroir from which the fruit is drawn. Each at...

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Harewood Estate Great Southern Riesling 2023

Harewood Estate Great Southern Riesling 2023

  12:48    Stu.

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This is the one that generally leads me down the nasal path to Thai Basil, spiced blossoms, citrus oils. It's not as obvious on the palate as the Single Vineyard offerings, you have to go looking. It's perhaps a more straightforward affair: lemon balsam, a little passionfruit and guava like note. Not overt. On a reasonable finish, a good-ish length. 91Tasted on: Thursday 18th January Source:...

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