Wine review and journal (c) 2009
2018 is a warm vintage in Chablis and the Valmur grand cru vineyard faces south and west, maximising sun exposure. So to the wine buyer spending $100+ on a grand cru wine, this is a potentially challenging crossing of "warm and warm". The wine however stands up very well. It does although take a little... Continue Reading →
The search for good value Burgundy continues. This time we are further south in the Côte Chalonnaise and the producer is the Domaine de l'Évêché; enough accents to test the keyboard. In some senses, it is a similar wine to a recently reviewed Fixin wine (see review here). The Côte Chalonnaise has mineral, stone and... Continue Reading →
Château Cantermele is one of the more affordable of the Bordeaux cru classés and this wine from the 2004 vintage is ready to drink. I more or less buy it most years for this reason. The 2004 vintage, tasted in 2022 and cellared since purchase, is medium bodied with aromas and flavours of smoke and... Continue Reading →
For those seeking Burgundian style wines, permanently high prices means that it makes sense to look beyond the best known appellations. Warmer recent vintages and general improvements make the more northerly Pfalz and Baden regions very able substitutes for Burgundian style pinot noir in my view, but there are few such wines in Australia. If... Continue Reading →
From Australian winemaker Jane Eyre, this Hospices de Beaune Volnay premier cru "Cuvée Blondeau" has proven a very good, consistent wine that expresses correctly its origin. The reason for its affordable (for Burgundy) price is not obvious, but it is not a pity for the wine lover. I have tasted a number of bottles of... Continue Reading →
From Ribera del Duero, a Spanish region I have had only modest success with, this wine is an intense expression of tempranillo. Recommended producers gratefully received. In the glass, the wine has a deep and saturated red colour. Its aromas are savoury and leathery and not bretty, lest that be taken as a subtle inference. ... Continue Reading →
This is a very enjoyable Crozes-Hermitage from negociant Delas in the Rhône Valley. It has aromas of savoury roast meats and smoke, in the style of syrah from Hermitage rather than, for Australian readers, the more sweet fruited and broody style of Barossa shiraz or the newer wave spicier expressions from southern Victoria and New... Continue Reading →
This is a very even, edgeless expression of Margaret River cabernet sauvignon from Moss Wood’s Ribbon Vale vineyard. It has typical cabernet sauvignon aromas of blackcurrant and leaf. The palate is medium to full bodied, the tannins are moderate and fine grained and the finish is graceful and smooth. Refined smokey oak and pencils complete the... Continue Reading →
Grosset's Polish Hill is probably the Clare Valley's benchmark riesling for the reason that it is more complex than most. The 2019 vintage opens with aromas of smoke, minerals and some lactic character. Clare Valley lemon and lime are in the background. The palate has pin point high acidity and does not have obvious seams.... Continue Reading →
From the warm 2018 vintage, this premier cru from Domaine Bruno Clair and Savigny-Les-Beaune La Dominode is surprisingly approachable now. It has a classy and immediately attractive aroma of polished fruit and blackcurrants. Its depth of aroma is at times reminiscent of Gevrey. At other times, its aroma is almost Oregon like in its expressiveness... Continue Reading →