February seems both long ago, yet only recent, with both the rhythm of seasons and life partly frozen and confused by lockdowns. This tasting took place in Napa in February 2020. Writing in September 2020, in Melbourne, we remain in lockdown. In our city, this means being permitted only to travel up to 5 kilometres…Continue readingBordeaux 2015 tasting in Napa
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Wynns Coonawarra tasting
This was a wonderful tasting of a selection of Wynns Black Label and John Riddoch Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon wines from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with some quite interesting conclusions. Those conclusions were that the Black Label, for most vintages, served blind and side-by-side with the John Riddoch, provided the more compelling current…Continue readingWynns Coonawarra tasting
Here’s the second of my promised posts on the Rutherglen wine region. The first post was on Rutherglen’s renaissance and can be found here. This post is all about what Rutherglen is famous for: fortified muscat (grape: muscat à petits grains) and fortified topaque (grape: muscadelle). Viticulture and winemaking Rather than recite facts from the…Continue readingRutherglen muscat and topaque
Innocent Bystander Nero D’Avola 2020 Wine ReviewContinue readingInnocent Bystander Nero d’Avola 2020 Wine Review
This wine review is of Maison de Vigneron’s 2018 grenache syrah from Vaucluse in the southern Rhône Valley in France. It is a modest wine with fruity aromas of red berries that are true to grenache. The palate is full bodied, unoaked, the acidity low to medium and the tannins soft. The focus is on…Continue readingMaison de Vigneron Grenache Syrah 2018 Wine Review
This wine review is of a chardonnay from the 2018 vintage of Domaine de Bellene and the Côteaux Bourguignons in Burgundy. The Côteaux Bourguignons is a regional appellation which permits the grapes to be sourced from anywhere in Burgundy, including Beaujolais. The informative Bourgogne Wines reference website provides further information about the appellation here. The…Continue readingDomaine de Bellene L’eclos Des Abeille 2018 Wine Review
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Marc Brédif Chinon 2017 Wine Review
This wine review is of Marc Brédif’s 2017 Chinon from the Loire Valley. If you enjoy Loire Valley cabernet franc, you can contrast it to recent wine reviews here of a Saumur from the same 2017 vintage and a Saumur-Champigny from the warmer 2018 vintage. The Chinon style here is similar to the Saumur wine,…Continue readingMarc Brédif Chinon 2017 Wine Review
Arnaud Lambert Saumur 2017 Wine ReviewContinue readingArnaud Lambert Saumur 2017 Wine Review
This wine review is of a high quality Saumur Champigny cabernet franc from Thierry Germain and the 2018 vintage. Various expressions of cabernet franc are produced by Thierry and this is the “Domaine des Roches Neuves”. The first thing to note is the deep purple colour of the wine in the glass, confirming the 2018…Continue readingThierry Germain Saumur Champigny 2018 Wine Review
Torbreck Woodcutter’s Wine ReviewContinue readingTorbreck Woodcutter’s 2019 Wine Review
This wine review is of a pinot noir rosé from Huntington Estate in warm climate Mudgee. This is not a natural home for pinot noir, but as a rosé from grapes that I expect were early picked, the wine is refreshing and European in style. In the glass, it is a red-orange colour. The aroma…Continue readingHuntington Estate Rosé 2018 Wine Review
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Paul Mas Viognier 2019 Wine Review
This viognier is from Paul Mas and the Pays d’Oc IGP in the south of France. It’s a well made wine. Local Australian versions of viognier can sometimes miss the mark navigating the tension between the high sugar (and alcohol) and low natural acidity of this variety. But here the wine is soft, ripe and…Continue readingPaul Mas Viognier 2019 Wine Review
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Tardieu-Laurent Gigondas 2015
This is a delicious Gigondas from Tardieu Laurent and one of the better wines I have tried from this appellation. It has savoury and immediately appealing aromas of boysenberry, blueberry and well integrated cedar. The palate is full bodied with attractive grippy tannins, a refined balance, medium acidity and ripe boysenberry fruit. Long length on…Continue readingTardieu-Laurent Gigondas 2015
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Chateau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 2010
This is an excellent La Lagune from the outstanding 2010 Bordeaux vintage. It has unmistakeable left bank aromas of cedar and blackcurrant. The palate is between medium and full bodied, the tannins are a little softer than expected for this vintage and the length on the finish is long. This is one of those wines…Continue readingChateau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 2010
This is a very good premier cru chardonnay from Mercurey in the Côte Chalonnaise. In its drinking prime, it has aromas of smoke and minerals. The palate is medium to full bodied, its acidity medium-high and its impression tight, linear and mineral. There is some good complexity here and this wine rewards current drinking. Rating:…Continue readingLes Héritiers Saint-Genys Mercurey Premier Cru Clos Marcilly 2015