Category Archives: Tasting Notes

Notes on wines I have tasted

April 3, 2013 · 6:13 pm

Chateau de Pibarnon – 18/05/2012

The Bandol Rosé 2011
70% mouvedre and 30% cinsault, and had a ripe savoury cherry and pumpkin spice nose, with some complex aromas of cured salty meat, whilst on the palate had very fresh and vibrant texture and warmth, with great balance and acidity with some nutty and cheesy notes on the back.

Les Retanques de Pibarnon Rouge 2009
Fascinatingly complex nose combining spice, game, dark fruits and even some pickled red onions. On the palate the wine was quite light and fresh, with good intensity and spicy tannins.

Chateau Pibarnon Rouge 2009
Very wild and feral game nose with spiced dark cherry and rhubarb, and introduced some shiitake broth elements too. Impossibly complex on the palate with full and mellow tannins and spicy fruit, but in spite of the complexity was very approachable.

Chateau Pibarnon Rouge 2008
Even more complex, showing some nut and popcorn, cinnamon, cumin and red curry aromas with star anise and red liquorice. On the palate the wine had focus, drive and precision from the concentrated acids and fruit, showing the red cherry and pomegranate freshness with good savoury elements too.

Chateau Pibarnon Rouge 2001
Developing some floral elements over time, and on the palate was decidedly silkier in the tannins, but no less focused and driven, developing some delicious mature savoury notes.

Chateau de Pibarnon range

Chateau de Pibarnon range

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March 10, 2013 · 9:23 pm

Eldridge Estate – 10/03/2013

Chardonnay 2010
Bright citrus melon peach, clean leesy ripeness. Tight dense ripeness, not warm or heavy. No malo character, heavier texture. Varietal.

DRL 2011 (50/50 Pinot gamay)
Quite pale in colour. Nice slightly spicy red fruit nose. Quite savoury in character, spice rosemary and bright red fruits. All on the front food wine, pleasant and most importantly different.

Gamay 2011
A little darker in fruit, a sharpness on the shoes, pomegranate turnips, medicine(?). Full yet fresh and bright, nice extension of fruit on the palate, round soft tannins, plenty of spice to it.

Pinot Noir 2010
Nice dark fruit with some good mature stalk elements. Very tight on the palate, focused linear, a product of location, focused and fresh, dense fruit.

MV6 Pinot Noir 2010
Soft pure quiet, focused dark cherry notes. Dark soft round but building on the palate, very late dark sweet spice savoury edge. Tight acids.

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March 10, 2013 · 11:49 am

Ocean Eight – 10/03/2013

Pinot Gris 2011
Piercing sharpness, very citric. Lovely soft unctuous texture, good warmth, a little savoury oiliness, really good integration.

Verve Chardonnay 2010
Soft rich slightly creamy almost floral notes, hints of lees. Focused sharp bright, a little green, clean and solid acidity with some minerality to boot.

Pinot Noir 2010
Soft clean nice savoury red fruits. Pure fresh focused acids, supple yet tight and brisk tannins, a sharpness that will soften with some age.

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March 10, 2013 · 11:15 am

Yabby Lake – 10/03/2013

Red Claw Pinot Gris 2011
Very light and thin on the nose. Solid balanced textured yet fresh. Looking a bit tired though.

Single Vineyard Pinot Gris 2012
Blossomy honeyed lychee peach notes. Warmer fuller mouth feel, Moore concentration of fruit, lacking in acidity somewhat.

Red Claw Chardonnay 2010
Clean light fresh citrus, not much else. Dense warm fruit, nice and clean from malo oak and lees, nice and ripe with good concentration.

Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2011
Much bolder and riper on the nose, a little leesy and curdy. Dense texture and phenolics, little green and lacking in depth, worked in terms of lees and oak, Mornington Chardonnay has changed.

Red Claw Pinot Noir 2011
Bold vibrant fruit nose, a tad reductive, a little savoury. Hot and reductive, not aggressive or hot but forward and bold.

Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010
Quite closed and young at the moment, very solid though, tight and focused ripe red fruits. Full balanced and soft, silky tannins, well structured with exceptional length.

Block 6 Pinot Noir 2010
Amazing purity. Soft supple and slightly spicy, gentle extraction but really builds on the palate travelling back. Extraordinarily young.

Block 2 Pinot Noir 2010
Denser and more concentrated. Much warmer and more tannic, a little aggressive for now. Needs a lot more time.

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March 10, 2013 · 10:59 am

Main Ridge – 10/03/2013

Chardonnay 2010
Bright mineralic crisp flinty and citrusy. Lovely texture, very supple, focused fresh and intense, wonderful balance, integrated oak and alcohol.

Chardonnay 2008
Showing a little more richness depth and lees character. Fuller rounder and riper, a lot more character, excellent flavour and texture maturity.

The Acre Pinot Noir 2010
Light bright but not at all varietal. Tight lean and focused. Wonderfully delicate fruit, supple and long tannins, wonderfully balanced alcohol.

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March 7, 2013 · 7:40 am

Felton Road – 7/03/2013

Bannockburn Chardonnay 2011
Nice hit of lees autolysis and pithy lemon and lime, flinty volcanic minerality, very slightly toasty. Fairly rich and round, nice and creamy on the back but focused and clean acids. Fairly fruit bold and good level of ripeness. Warmish.

Block 2 Chardonnay 2011
Denser and darker fruit, more stone than citric, slightly more oak and lees characters. Fuller heavier, more fruit and denser texture. Richer, more expressive mid-palate and showing youthful oak and alcohol. Powerful yet subtle expression given time.

Bannockburn Riesling 2012
Bright blossomy florals, a touch musky with some candied citrus. Crisp yet soft with the combination of acid and RS. Gentle subtle and long, caresses the palate in a moorish way. Very long acidity certainly mineralic.

Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2012
Bright dark stalky earthy black fruits, blackberries and black cherry, very exuberant. Dense and forward, a little short on the palate for now, not integrate yet. Concentrated fruit and small bunch at that, a touch sharp at the moment.

Cornish Point Pinot Noir 2011
A little more restrained in colour. More focused and less varietal, earthy and more red in fruit, stormy and deep. More elegant and balanced on the palate, showing great mid-palate structure and exceptional length. Fruit needs more time to express itself, a bit closed under selection and barrel. Certainly more terroir-driven and individual.

Felton Road Tasting

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March 6, 2013 · 2:20 am

Luciano Sandrone – 4/3/2013

Dolcetto d’Alba 2011
Lovely and floral, brambly pomegranate, spicy sweet green pepper. Bright clear and fresh, wonderful acidity, nice tight clean finish, structure very fine but full of flavour without being simple.

Barbera d’Alba 2010
Denser and more intense, earthier and more savoury red fruits and violets. Focused yet round, clean lines yet nice and broad, tight focused fruit.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2010
Very aromatic intense floral dark fruit. Explosive structure, very intense fruit acid and tannin structure, very long and fine on the palate, very tight with plenty of aging potential.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2009
Hauntingly soft nose, very complex with cherry anise and delicate roses. Bright fresh and lively on the palate yet soft and intense, bombastic tannins yet refreshing acids, delicate structure and plenty of red fruits.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008
Earthier darker and softer fruit, more focused mushroom savouriness, opening up over time. Very tight yet soft sweet fruit tannins, showing some chocolate and caramel notes as it develops.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2007
Falling away a bit, drinking very well now, not a keeper. Possibly a product of the vintage it is lovely and soft and approachable but won’t improve much more in the bottle.

Le Vigne Barolo 2008
Some savoury Japanese sauce notes, intense ripe red fruits, very ruby. Tight and intense, packs a punch on the front palate, delicate and clean on the mid and back. Classic.

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2008
Darker and more intense complexity. Softer warmer tannins yet explosive mid-palate, brooding tight tannins, bright dark red fruits. Needs plenty of time in bottle.

Le Vigne Barolo 2004
Softer and earthier with age, chocolate dust, soft red cherry and plum. Sleek and silky on the palate with plenty of tannins and acid, very bright red with tight focused freshness.

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2004
More intense and masculine broody darkness, less fruit brightness on the nose. Richer, fuller and darker on the palate, bolder but softer structure, more tannin yet somehow more approachable than the ’04 Le Vigne.

Le Vigne Barolo 2003
Soft bright and a little simple in a closed way aromatically. Hot full soft and forward with some dense red fruit but lacking extension on the palate.

Cannubi Boschis Sibi et Paucis Barolo 2003
Slightly more foresty and chocolate on the nose. Denser and more expressive, holding together much better, darker fruit and sweeter tannins still with plenty of acid.

Le Vigne Sibi et Paucis Barolo 2002
Insanely complex intense yet shy on the nose. Showing very young despite age, still plenty of life in it, very tight structure and acidity.

Le Vigne Barolo 2001
Soft round red fruit earthiness on the nose. Dense and a little aggressive on the alcohol.

Bottles of Sandrone wine

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February 22, 2013 · 6:21 am

February tastings

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 1998
Subtle dried coconut, lemon butter, creamy oily nuts. Subtle rich and creamy texture, oily and dense. Soft mid palate, exceptionally long.

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 1998

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling 2004
Very oily and keroseney, kumquat quince and orange blossom. A little closed flat and thin, creamy oily lanolin, lemon butter.

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling 2004

Josef Chromy Pinot Gris 2012
Light crisp and spicy on the nose, a little orange rind and cinnamon. Full oily and a little sweet, warmish and a little aggressive, not enough fruit to support the weight.

Josef Chromy Pinot Gris 2012

Teusner ‘The Empress’ Riesling 2011 (Eden Valley)
Lovely crisp fresh citrussy lime and lemon, hints of white peach and green apples, slight flicks of minerality. Very vibrant fruit, juicy and full, bold in flavour and lacking in zingy acids compared to European examples, nice breadth and extension on the palate.

Teusner The Empress Eden Valley Riesling 2011

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January 20, 2013 · 7:50 pm

Feudi di San Gregorio – 17/01/2013

Serrocielo Falanghina 2011
Lovely and bright, very fresh and aromatic, classic citrus and tropical melon fruits, clean and fruity. Balanced bright fresh and pure, light bodied and fresh, good minerality, straight-forward and approachable.

Pietracalda Fiano di Avellino 2011
More closed and less fruity, slightly more floral elements, honeyed lavender and musk, more seashell influence, a little iodine. More intense and full on the palate, textural and expressive, denser and longer on the palate, more complexity, warmer and more orchard fruit than citrus or tropical notes.

Cutizzi Greco di Tufo 2011
More basalt and dark minerality, rich ripe red citrus notes, ruby grapefruit and elderberry. Slightly wilder and almost earthier in nature, stone and orchard fruits, denser and masculine, a lot of dark minerality and some warmth and volume as well.

Aglianico dal Re 2010
Nice and dark, slightly dusty, fresh blackberries, some . Quite intense and tight, plenty of drive and focus but a little tight, not enough softness. Nice and light and approachable, fresh and clean. A tad green and undercooked.

Piano di Monte Vergine Taurasi 2007
Certainly more oaky and dark, reflections of the modern style but not too obvious, has had plenty of time in bottle to soften out the edges, need to see more aglianico to know if this is the right expression. Core of sweet dark concentrated fruit, bold and full but relatively soft and velvety, a touch sharp and also warm, intense and a little fiery, but good tannins and some sharpness. Not the style I would go for though.

Serpico 2008 (Irpinia Aglianico)
Tight and closed, intense but also brooding and shy, better integration of oak but somewhat muted fruit. Soft farily light but intense and fresh, not sweet or syrupy, quite intense warm and sharp focused tannins, long but good finish. More interesting and characterful than the previous wine, perhaps thanks to vintage.

Basilisco Aglianico del Vulture 2006
Very stinky rustic, possibly suffering some faults, bottle fault or wine fault?

Basilisco Aglianino del Vulture 2007
Not much better to be honest. Rustic and wild, sharp tannins, quite different and unique. Not bad as much as hard for many to understand and appreciate, and easy for people to say it is fantastic as it is so undeniably rustic and old-world.

Mastroberardino Greco di Tufo

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January 17, 2013 · 6:48 pm

Mastroberardino – 17/01/2013

Morabianca Irpinia Falanghina 2011
Citrus mineral freshness, bright juicy and a little salty, a little floral with also some tight tropical notes. Lovely balance, wonderful freshness, full of life and character but also exceptionally easy-drinking friendly and approachable. Nice lines with a small hint of musk.

Radici Fiano di Avellino 2011
Much more oily and stone fruit aroma, quite mineralic and almost kerosene-like, Lovely and fresh, a little fuller and longer on the palate, deeper fruit, tighter and very focused, wonderfully balanced, nice density and viscosity but not cloying.

Nova Serra Greco di Tufo 2011
Denser orchard fruits, darker deeper florals, more clay derived earthiness, The most dense and concentrated, very powerful but also subtle expression of fruit, builds wonderfully on the palate, structured and earthy, mineral texture and complexity.

Lacrimarosa 2011
Nice clean fresh red fruits, cherry strawberry. A little fruit sweetness to keep things pleasant, but nice and dry with a very slight savoury edge, a slightly creamy finish.

Radici Taurasi 2007 (Aglianico)
Very dense dark and a little smoky, round ripe rubbery, slightly oaky. Soft intense tight focused tannins, bold and powerful expression but still plenty of freshness and well integrated oak. Wonderful balance, focus and drive, expressive and fresh now with plenty of ageing potential. Lot’s of tannin.

Radici Taurasi Riserva 1998
Wonderfully bright and fresh with fruit for a wine of this age, subtly rustic in a very complex integrated way, showing some lovely bottle-aged characters as well. Amazingly focused yet complex, balanced soft yet intense and full of character, gentle supple and velvety tannins, amazing length and elegance. Lively and plenty of acid to keep things all integrated.

Mastroberardino

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