Wine review and journal (c) 2009
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 →
This is an older St Hugo grenache, shiraz and mataro (mourvèdre) (aka GSM) from the Barossa and the 2014 vintage. My modest hopes were rewarded with a wine of interest. The wine opens to correct and varietal aromas of cherry, chocolate and char. The palate is full bodied, the alcohol high and its expression of... Continue Reading →
With no bottles taking its place on the local wine shelf, I feared that I may have tasted the last of this producer’s wax sealed wines from the 2014 vintage and the Yea region. I recently however spotted a 2016 vintage for sale (in 2022). Unlike the 2014 vintage, this wine is more syrah than... Continue Reading →
Cortese is a difficult wine in blind tastings due to its generic "white wine" attributes. In theory In theory, cortese it is not an aromatic wine, has high acidity, a dry and perhaps bitter finish and is not fruit driven. Its purpose is to be fresh and structured. Its primary home is in Piemonte and... Continue Reading →
This wine is a straight mataro from Greenock Creek in the Barossa Valley. Mataro is a synonym for mourvèdre, the latter being in more general worldwide usage. The alcohol is listed in the low 14s and is a pleasing respite from the very high alcohol shiraz wines of this producer. In the glass, the wine... Continue Reading →
This is a refined, St Julien like expression of Château Clerc Milon from Pauillac and the 2012 vintage. In all respects, this is classic left bank Bordeaux and an edge free experience. Every corner has been polished. It has textbook aromas of blackcurrant and cedar. The palate is medium bodied, has firm fine tannins and... Continue Reading →
The stronger 2005s from Bordeaux should be starting to drink well and the lesser wines revealing whether they had sufficient stuffing to last the distance. The Marquis d'Alesme Becker grand cru classé sits somewhere in between. It could be a little tired, offer glimpses of excellence or provide excellent drinking with the promise of more.... Continue Reading →
From Valtellina in the far north of Lombardy and varietally labelled as nebbiolo. It's a "Rosso", so in theory an earlier drinking wine. It proves to be a very good nebbiolo after initially not appearing it had plans to amount to much. Aromas of strawberry compote and even raisined fruit blew off, showing a true... Continue Reading →
From Moss Wood's Ribbon Vale vineyard, the 2010 vintage is a blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and 7% cabernet franc. A deep ruby in colour, the wine has taken on some tertiary characters of earth and has savoury red and dark fruits. It is bottled under screwcap; the argument that screw capped reds... Continue Reading →
I think of cool climate syrah as a more recent trend. But it is not really. This 2005 vintage shiraz from the Yarra Valley provided very good drinking at 17 years of age. Deeply coloured, it has plenty of green aromas; in particular, rosemary, seaweed and bouquet garnis. The palate is fully mature and medium... Continue Reading →