April 14, 2013 · 8:23 am

Weingut Kuenstler – 8/02/2012

Finesse Trocken Riesling 2011
Such an approachable and versatile wine with a little residual sugar to offset the acids.

Hochheim Holle Riesling 2010
Very concentrated and exuberant.

Hochheim Holle Riesling 2009
More approachable now.

Hochheim Holle Riesling 2008
Tasted younger than the 2009.

Kosteim Weiss Erd Riesling 2009
A ripe tropical pineapple element to it, richer and fuller on the palate but still fresh.

Hochheim Kirchenstuck Riesling 2009
A sherbety juby character, and was more in the peach and mango spectrum of fruit. I actually found this was the best of the three single-vineyard wines I tried.

Hochheim Holle Auslese and Beerenauslese Riesling
Both had the same faint beeswax aroma I had seen before, but were both exceptionally concentrated without being overly cloying. These are wines of distinction, but also wines that require time in the bottle.

Weingut Kuenstler wines

Weingut Kuenstler wines

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April 14, 2013 · 8:14 am

Schloss Johannisberg – 8/02/2012

Rotlack Kabinett trocken and Feinherb)
More ripe tropical characters, and also a slight sweet herb note.

Silverlack Trocken Riesling 2009
Much richer and fuller, with a slight sweet corn and hot butter complexity.

Grunlack Spatlese Riesling 2010
Lovely rich ripe peach and apricot fruit notes, whilst retaining the freshness of acidity.

Goldlack Trockenbeerenauslese 2010
Sweet artichoke and olive oil viscosity and texture, lovely raisined richness and superb length.

Schloss Johannisberg wines

Schloss Johannisberg wines

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April 14, 2013 · 7:59 am

Balthasar Ress – 9/02/2012

Von Unserm Trocken Riesling 2010
Very sharp and lean on the palate, fresh and vibrant, but a little aromatically shy.

Hattenheimer Feinherb Riesling 2010
Lovely and approachable, exactly what you want out of this kind of wine, as it is malleable with food.

Hattenheim Engelmannsberg Riesling 2010
A much more textural and rich wine, and exhibited some nice wild honey characters on the back palate.

The wines in general were all very good examples of the variety and region, but for my under-developed but unbiased palate, seemed a little on the simple side, lacking distinct character or austerity. It will be interesting to see how the wine style evolves over the coming years, as there are apparently some big things happening in the winery currently.

Balthasar Ress wines

Balthasar Ress wines

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April 14, 2013 · 7:54 am

Robert Weil – 9/02/2012

Riesling Trocken 2011 and 2010 vintages
Through the process of blending and balance, these wines were almost indistinguishable. The size of the estate holdings and the volume produced (roughly 300,000 bottles) means that there is a higher possibility to maintain consistency in this wine from vintage to vintage.

Kiedricher Village Riesling 2010
Very spritzy vibrant fruit freshness, and had a little botrytis derived oxidative complexity.

Kiedrich Klosterberg Riesling 2010
Quite rich and tropical, showing more ripe characters without losing the balance.

Kiedrich Turmberg Riesling 2010
A slightly reductive mineralic nose, more vibrancy and defined acidity.

Grafenburg Erstes Gewachs Riesling 2010
Far too young to fairly assess it, as it was very tight and lean, but will develop beautifully over the next 10-15 years.

Kabinett Riesling, Grafenburg Spatlese and Auslese, all 2010
The acids in all cases were very well integrated and fresh, but there was a lot of concentrated ripe sweetness in the Spatlese and Auslese.

Robert Weil wines

Robert Weil wines

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April 13, 2013 · 2:22 pm

Amadio – 12/04/2013

Arneis 2009
A touch oxidative, but nice and bright citrus fruit. Very clean and light, focuses back in at the back but relatively fresh with fruit and acidity.

Bianco Classico 2009
Clean slightly salty quince citrus fruit. Fresh broad and friendly, very inoffensive and quaffable.

Pinot Grigio 2012
A touch sweaty and reductive, some white peach and pear. Crisp and light, good freshness of fruit and plenty of acidity to cleanse the palate.

Rosso Superiore 2011
Nice bright dark fruit and floral elements, a bit of sweet spice. Juicy and soft but with some spice and savoury notes.

Rosso Quattro 2011
Fairly classic red wine notes, dark red fruits, classic Australian. Suitably fresh and vibrant, lots of clean pleasant fruit,  great drinking wine, why should it be hard?

Sangiovese 2009
Great sang colour, quite light. Minty red fruits, a little floral and eucalyptus. Soft sweet fruit, some volume and lifted tannins, full of flavour but not heavy.

Aglianico 2010
A little closed, tight fruit and fine oak. Bright intense fresh but a nice tightness to the tannins, clean acidic finish. Extremely palatable.

Amadio red wines under pressure

Amadio red wines under pressure

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April 13, 2013 · 2:18 pm

Alpha Box & Dice – 12/04/2013

Golden Mullet Fury Pedro Ximenez Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Really bright but funky apricot oil nose, a little floral note to it. Textural but a little toasty rich but still crunchy, wild fruits and herbs, hazelnuts.

Rebel Montepulciano 2012
Lively bright juicy aromatics, slight rosy currant character. Lovely and dry, clean fresh vibrant, nice light dense fruit, just a great wine with food.

Blood of Jupiter Sangiovese Cabernet 2008
Dark plum violets and cassis is looking strong. Great wine but Cabernet dominating, sweet toasty vanilla from the oak.

Changing Lanes Cab/Shiraz/Malbec 2010
Nice dusty leathery dark fruits. Full opulent dense and expressive. Similar sweetness of oak coming through.

Alpha Box & Dice range

Alpha Box & Dice range

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April 13, 2013 · 2:10 pm

Pertaringa – 11/04/2013

Fiano 2012 Adelaide hills
Nice bright floral fresh citrus aromas. Clean and slightly oily. Balanced fresh light but expressive, quite fruity with hints of salty texture.

Dolcetto 2012 Langhorne Creek
Quite intense floral rosemary red fruit basil. Sweet ripe fruit, new world expression, still good acids and freshness with late savoury notes.

Tempranillo 2011 Adelaide
Earthy savoury dusty, a little closed but lots of fruit expression. Soft and mellow, full and rich but kind of bland. Some nice savoury notes though.

Graciano 2010 Langhorne Creek
Deep and dark, a little dusty and earthy, concentrated spice. Very bright and fresh on the palate, clean fruit expression, a little bit safe.

Aglianico 2011 McLaren Vale
Very vibrant aromatics, fruit and florals, sharp and fairly spicy. Reasonably tight and intense, good structure, adequate fruit ripeness. Sharp and tight acids.

Primitivo 2010 Langhorne Creek
Bright exuberant blackberry spice notes. Very juby sweet dark fruits, structure but a little flabby and unfocused.

Lagrein 2010 Limestone Coast
Dark and soft, fairly quiet. Full sweet fruits, broad and missing the freshness that the variety can offer.

Pertaringa cellar door

Pertaringa cellar door

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April 13, 2013 · 2:03 pm

Oliver’s Taranga – 11/04/2013

Vermentino 2012
Crisp oily salty fresh citrus herb notes. Warm and vibrant, balanced and fresh, plenty of character and texture, a bit of depth.

Sagrantino 2009
Core of sweet dark fruit on the nose, floral and intense. Quite dense but in no way oppressive or aggressive, earthy and full without heaviness. Slight savoury finish, needs food.

Oliver's Taranga sign

Oliver’s Taranga sign

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April 13, 2013 · 1:52 pm

Chapel Hill – 11/04/2013

Il Vescovo White 2011 (savagnin, verdelho, roussanne)
Clean bright salty crisp citrus and peach. Fruity and flavourful, clean palate, nice fresh finish, good food wine. Outstanding for the style.

Verdelho 2012
Somewhat shy but fresh and clean. A little more concentration but at the same time thin, lacking depth.

The Chosen Gorge Block Chardonnay 2011
Riper more tropical riots, pineapple citrus freshness. Quite subtle and gentle, elegant long but in the riper spectrum. Well managed oak.

Il Vescovo Sangiovese Rosé 2012
Bright cherry strawberry raspberry fruit aromas. Lots of flavour and character but great acidity freshness. A kick of fruit weight and hints of sweetness, but good depth and expression.

Il Vescovo Tempranillo 2011
Tight lean slightly meaty dusty red fruits. Quite intense but lean and soft. Lacking a bit if fruit sweetness and plumpness?

Il Vescovo Tempranillo 2012
Nice and bright, intense and fruitful nose. Generous and full, but still lots of great acidity freshness.

Il Vescovo Sangiovese 2011
Potentially faulty, potentially not sangiovese. Different varietals in style, pretty dark and intense. Very dense. Repassed over cabernet skins.

Bush Vine Grenache 2011
Lovely dark spicy notes, intense but lots of juicy red fruit. Soft round but good acid, intense fruit but good balance of savoury spicy pepper. Robust bit boy too heavy or hot.

Mourvèdre 2010
Nice deep dark plum spice aromas. Juicy soft rich sweet dark fruit. Powerful and explosive, warm but balanced with adequate fruit. Intensity.

The Chosen Road Block Shiraz 2008
Minty juby jammy black fruit plum. Full juicy concentrated intense, but not too oaky or hot, just lots of fruit.

The Chosen House Block Shiraz 2008
More earthy savoury characters, less mint. more subdued concentration, slightly more savoury, but still very intense fruit. Better block wine.

Back vintages of the Chosen Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wines

Back vintages of the Chosen Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon wines

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April 13, 2013 · 1:45 pm

Coriole – 11/04/2013

Fiano 2012
Nice bright crisp slightly oily aromatics, intense but also friendly. Soft round generous but full texture, mouth- filling and bold fresh fruit, good weight without fat or sweetness.

Nero d’Avola 2012
Cherry ripe, dark earthy red fruit sweetness, raspberry muesli bar. Very light soft and a bit thin, consistent with bouquet. Showing some nice savoury notes but a little out of balance.

Barbera 2011
Nice bright dark fright but some sharpness and hints of floral elements. Full fruit but on the sharp side, long and persistent acids, good lines and expressiveness, could possibly do with a bit more fruit.

Sangiovese 2011
Light bright colour. Classic aromatics, raspberry and tomato, juicy bright and fresh. Soft full fresh, intense but clean and bright, possibly a touch warm. Extremely adaptable with food and also pleasing to many palates.

Vita Reserve Sangiovese 2009
Dark and oaky, more like Shiraz in character, international winemaking nose. Depth character weight and extension, soft round but appreciated acids. A much more premium wine, certainly hallmarks of Australia on it.

Sagrantino 2009
Tight and talcy, intense red fruits. Very powerful and intense expression but not heavy aggressive or cloying, explosive fruit and tannin with balanced alcohol, nothing getting in the way.

Cotiole tasting

Coriole tasting

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