Tag Archives: Adelaide Hills

d’Arenberg The Galvo Garage McLaren Vale Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot Merlot 2014

A slight mouthful of name, places and grape varieties, this wine is deep in colour with an inky nose reminding of tar and liquorice. The palate is expressive of dark plums, tannins and leaf and has a bitter finish. This wine is approachable now with decanting, but will benefit from a further 2-3 years cellaring. […]

d’Arenberg The Olive Grove McLaren Vale Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2018

Modestly priced at $16, this is a sound chardonnay from McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. In the glass, it has restrained aromas of peach and nectarine. The palate is medium-full bodied and in a crisp, fresh style. Rating: Acceptable to Good. Abv: 13%. Price: $16. Website: darenberg.com.au. Source: Sample.

d’Arenberg The Broken Fishplate Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2018

d’Arenberg’s “The Broken Fishplate” is a well made sauvignon blanc from the Adelaide Hills. It has bright aromas of lemon, grass and pear. The palate has fresh acidity and a nice balance. Rating: Good. Abv: 13%. Price:$20. Website: darenberg.com.au. Source: Sample.

Some good new release McLaren Vale grenache from d’Arenberg

Here are six new release wines from d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale that are between $15 and $29.  All of the wines were tasted blind, and the two grenache based wines stood out for their quality.  This tasting confirmed my view that the best grenache departs from the primary fruit/jube/high alcohol renditions of this grape variety, […]

Ochota Barrels The Slint Vineyard Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016

Ochota Barrels is a cult South Australian producer producing wines in tiny quantities and a cool kids ethos, together with the customary lo-fi approach. Their 2016 chardonnay tasted here is cloudy in appearance, with aromatics of pear. The palate is finely boned, with lemon characters and a lovely balance to it. Rating: Good. Abv: 12.6%. […]

6 new release Australian whites

At the table today I tasted through six new release Australian whites, all completely blind. No price exceeded $22, although that was not known either. The average quality was very good and as usual blind tasting leads to a few surprises. Interestingly, the two wines with gold medal stickers on them (the first and third) […]

Taylors Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2016

This is a varietally correct sauvignon blanc from Taylors from the Adelaide Hills.  Aromas of passionfruit and pineapple.  Well balanced and pitched on the palate.  (Region: Adelaide Hills, Rating: Good, Would I buy it based on this tasting? It’s perfectly pleasant drinking, Drink: now, Tasted: April, 2017, Source: Sample) Read more: www.taylorswines.com.au Other vintages reviewed: NA

Taylors Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 2016

This is a safe and varietal wine from Taylors range in the Adelaide Hills.  Typical pinot gris aromatics of apples and pears are supplemented by characters of oat meal on the palate.  The impression is crisp and full bodied.  (Abv 13.5%, Region: Adelaide Hills, Rating: Good, Would I buy it based on this tasting? It’s varietally […]