Category Archives: Tasting Notes

Notes on wines I have tasted

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Let’s Taste – Tahbilk New Releases November 2015

You may have heard my recent interview of Alister Purbrick, CEO and owner of Tahbilk Winery, on Episode 069 of The Vincast podcast. It was preceded by an incredible vertical tasting of the 1860 Vines Shiraz and a lunch at Vue de Monde. If you didn’t I highly recommend heading to intrepidwino.com to hear the interview and check out my tasting notes on the wines.
The wonderful team at Fireworks PR sent me bottles of the Tahbilk new releases, and I decided to open them and share my impressions. Have you had a chance to taste them yet? What were your impressions?

Tahbilk Marsanne 2015 and Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Tahbilk Marsanne 2015 and Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

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November 9, 2015 · 10:06 am
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Let’s Taste – Sang de Lune Shiraz 2014

I bought a bottle of the Sang de Lune Shiraz 2014 (RRP $22.00) from my good friend Alex at Blackhearts & Sparrows, who was actually one of the winemakers of this wine! Here are my impressions, I hope you enjoy. Let me know in the comments if you would like to share your impressions of this wine, or you have a wine you’d like me to taste!

Sang de Lune Shiraz 2014

Sang de Lune Shiraz 2014

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November 4, 2015 · 12:05 pm
November 4, 2015 · 11:59 am

Let’s Taste – Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut 2013 & Altair Brut Rosé NV

The guys from Deviation Road sent me two of their Sparkling Wines to taste, no doubt in the lead up to the Festive Season. They are experts in methode traditionelle sparkling wines, and these two perfectly exhibit that. The wines are the Loftia Vintage Brut 2013 (RRP $45.00) and the Altair Brut Rosé NV (RRP $32.00). Here are my impressions!

Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut 2013 & Altair Brut Rosé NV

Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut 2013 & Altair Brut Rosé NV

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November 1, 2015 · 9:26 am

Let’s Taste – Azahara Sparkling Chardonnay PN & Katnook Founder’s Block Sparkling Shiraz 2013

The guys from the Wingara Wine Group sent me a few bottles of bubbles in the lead up to the Spring Racing Carnival to see what I thought of them. Unfortunately I couldn’t taste them until I got back from Italy, which happened to be DURING the Spring Racing Carnival. The wines were the Azahara Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV (RRP $15.00) and the Katnook Estate Founder’s Block Sparkling Shiraz 2013 (RRP $25.00). Check out my impressions!

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Let’s Taste – Bress Harcourt Valley Cider 2015

For something a bit different I opened a bottle of the Bress Cider 2015 instead of a wine for this episode of Let’s Taste. What style of cider do you like? What do you think of Australian cider?

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September 27, 2015 · 6:43 pm
September 26, 2015 · 12:36 pm

Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz Retrospective Tasting – 21/9/2015

When you start learning about wine in Australia, particularly Victorian wine, one of the first names you learn about is Tahbilk. There are a number of reasons why this is the case. The first is that it is one of the oldest in the country, and boasts some of the oldest shiraz vines to boot, not easy to do in the phylloxera-affected state of Victoria compared to South Australia. The second is that they make an iconic (and hugely under-appreciated) white wine ideal for ageing, in their Marsanne, particularly the 1927 vine wine. Thus Tahbilk has a soft spot for many wine industry professionals like myself.

So it was with great pleasure that I got invited as a “new-media” guest to the release of the 2010 vintage of the 1860 Vines Shiraz, celebrating its 150th birthday this year, with a number of very special people to taste through almost every vintage since its first release. It was thanks in part to former guest on The Vincast podcast Kathy Lane that I managed to get an invite, as her business Fireworks PR did an amazing job helping Tahbilk put it together at Vue de Monde.

Finding original-rooted pre-20th Century vines in Victoria is not easy, which adds to the lustre of this iconic wine. What helps these vines is the very sandy soils they are planted on, which the phylloxera aphid can’t live in. When current owner and CEO Alister Purbrick took over the business from his father, it was his decision to bottle a wine exclusively from these old vines. At the time Australia was only just coming out of its fortified wine-dominant production, as markets started to discover the quality of Australian dry red wine, particularly made from shiraz.

Below you will find my impressions of each of the vintages that were on offer. I strongly urge people to get their hands on some of the 2010 vintage as it is a belter, and as seen in this tasting the wines have immense ageing potential. I also urge people to subscribe to The Vincast podcast, as after the tasting I recorded an episode with Alister which was an amazing insight into how far the wine industry has come in the past 40+ years.

(Chateau) Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz

(Chateau) Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz

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June 1, 2015 · 10:13 pm

Sunday Tasting Group – Northern Rhone wines

The Bentleigh Tasting Group has reconvened recently, and has also relocated thus necessitating a name-change. It’s been a while since I’ve joined this group of mostly sommeliers, so I’m a bit rusty on my blind tasting. It’s also been even longer since I’ve delved into the Northern Rhone Valley, not really since I was actually there in May of 2012. I found myself thinking back to my visits and tastings, considering the specifics of each appellation. But as always, the notes are from my blind tasting finishing with my guess as to the origin and vintage, and you can see how close I was. Some pretty amazing wines and a really interesting cross-section of styles in this one.

Doing it in style at The Point Albert Park

Doing it in style at The Point Albert Park

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May 28, 2015 · 2:48 pm

Picardy – 20/5/2015

Tasted with Dan Pannell at the Picardy winery in Pemberton, Western Australia.

Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2014
Lovely delicate oyster shell notes, nice lychee lime and kiwi. Bit of bite and crunchy acidity, papaya apple, excellent balance and a nice textural nuttiness.

Chardonnay 2012
Deep ripe citrus apricot nice openness. Quite ripe barrel fermented notes, toasty nutty texture, but good fruit and acidity to balance.

Pinot Noir 2013
Beautiful, bright fresh clean, lovely balance of fruit and some mature green notes, perfect integrity and intensity.

2014 Merlot cabernet Sauvignon
Bold dark juicy but light and vibrant, sitting exceptionally well in the mid palate, nice bite hints of sour pomegranate and dark cherry, wonderfully drinkable but with poise.

Shiraz 2014
A bit closed, shy and reductive, dark on the nose. Tight lean focused classic cool climate fruit profile, nice tight but generous tannins, fresh, needs to settle in bottle a bit.

Dan Pannell from Picardy wines in Pemberton, Western Australia

Dan Pannell from Picardy wines in Pemberton, Western Australia

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May 28, 2015 · 2:20 pm

Si Vintners – 19/5/2015

Tasted with Iwo Jankovicz in the Si Vintners winery in Margaret River.

Lello 2014
Oily herbal quince, floral mineral. Sherbety fresh open expression juicy and nice texture acidity.

Babayaga 2015 (98% skin contact sauvignon blanc, 2% whole bunch cabernet)
Has that same juicy profile as the Lello, just a totally different profile of fruit.

2015 Halcyon Chardonnay
Slightly closed toastiness, salty caramel coriander hazelnuts. Protecting itself for now, interesting bite, dense yet fresh fruits, cumquats.

Sin Syrah 2015
Juicy closed dark fruit chocolate. Very juicy soft but full flavours, hits of pepper, soft dark fruits, bit of bitter chocolate. Super yummy booze.

Sin Syrah 2014
Spicy white pepper violets and gherkin. Really nice bite had brightness, sweet and sour notes, very Szechuan nature.

Halcyon Pinot Noir 2014
Pretty dark fruits, juicy and fresh, good drinking, very friendly.

Halcyon Cabernet 2012
Possibly the best MR cabernet I’ve tasted.

Iwo Jakimowicz at Si Vintners in the Margaret River

Iwo Jakimowicz at Si Vintners in the Margaret River

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May 28, 2015 · 2:13 pm

Dormilona – 19/5/2015

Tasted with winemaker Jo Perry in the Dormilona winery in the Margaret River.

2015 Semillon
Nice and juicy on the nose, fresh broad generous good balanced ripeness.

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Rich full balanced fruit green and mineral. Presence on the palate,  nice texture and depth from lees contact.

2015 Chardonnay barrel
Earthy texture, great mid palate texture.

2015 Chardonnay pot
Much purity, much balance, much completeness.

Chardonnay 2014
Quite classic Margaret River Chardonnay aromatics, malo quite prominent for now.

2015 Chenin Blanc
Pure bright fresh light lean, long.

2015 Sauvignon
Sweet texture, floral brightness, lovely length, nice bit of bite late on the palate.

2015 Cabernet
Personality plus, plush but fine, nice balance with solid fruit.

Jo Perry from Dormilona Wines in the Margaret River

Jo Perry from Dormilona Wines in the Margaret River

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