Tag Archives: Margaret River

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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May 27, 2015 · 5:02 pm

Vasse Felix – 18/5/2015

Tasted in the Vasse Felix Cellar Door in Margaret River, Western Australia.

Filius Chardonnay 2014
Nice bright intense pure mineral notes. Very lean pure white peach lemon notes, quite moreish.

Chardonnay 2013
More savoury stone fruits, a little more savoury and smoky. Slightly broader and pithier textural style, bolder but also more closed.

Heytesbury Chardonnay 2013
Smokier shellfish notes, lots of lees work and barrel toast, charred citrus. Pretty dense and closed at the moment, a bit brusque and oaky.

Filius Cabernet Merlot 2013
Very light focused varietal example. Pleasant clean slightly green style, extremely quaffable.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Tighter and more focused but also bolder, very lean and possibly lacking in fruit.

Heytesbury 2011
Better (riper) fruit on the nose, but still lacking personality. Am I missing something here?

Cane Cut Semillon 2013
Very good, very fresh, well-balanced sugar, neither thin nor fat/rich.

Vasse Felix wines

Vasse Felix wines

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May 27, 2015 · 4:58 pm

Cullen – 18/5/2015

Wines tasted after a visit to Cullen in Margaret River.

Moon opposite Saturn Sauvignon Blanc
Quite light and a bit herbal, subtlety of the grassy asparagus note. Fresh and vibrant but still quite lean, very delicate dustiness.

Kevin John Chardonnay 2013
Ripe citrus notes sweet nuttiness. Soft rich light subdued leesy but showing a bit of alcohol at the moment, a very generous expression, perhaps needs more time.

Amber 2014
Quite phenolic on the nose, spicy herbal notes, kind of waxy. Very pleasant and probably better with food, a tad awkward though.

Rosé 2013
Very fine, good tannins, quite cabernet dominant.

Preservative Free Merlot 2014
Nice focus tannins small dark berries. Excellent expression of the variety, bright tight and focused, very dry.

Mangan East Block 2012
Quite subtle, closed focus, mature dustiness. Fresh and clean, bit of juiciness but focused tannins. Bit of savoury to boot.

Diana Madeline 2012
Quite closed and a more dusty expression, very subtle on the nose. Very generous and soft with just a touch of oak sweetness on the tannins, bold balanced generous but focused.

Diana Madeline 2011
A touch lean and green for the moment, subtle eucalyptus notes, ripe red capsicum. Juicy bright acids with that savoury green/red notes, quite intense tannins, great grip, more my style of vintage.

Cullen Winery

Cullen Winery

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May 27, 2015 · 4:51 pm

McHenry Hohnen – 18/5/2015

Wines tasted at the McHenry Hohnen Cellar Door in the Margaret River region.

Amigos White (Marsanne, Chardonnay, Roussanne) 2011
Nice oiliness but not too fat or broad, not warm, balanced alcohol. Hints of herbs and spice, nice stone fruit core. Pleasant, not showing its age at all.

Calgardup Brook Chardonnay 2013
Quite soft and gentle, round creamy salted butter, nice rich leesy notes, integrated but also showing a bit of oak.

Rocky Rd Chardonnay 2013
A little flintier aromatically, darker riper stone fruits. Mealier texture on the palate, a little darker in fruit profile, slightly riper notes, a bit bolder, preferred style, more length.

Burnside Chardonnay 2013
Crunchier more graphite mineral notes, quite bold, smokier too. Fuller denser dried stone fruit, earthy density, quite exuberant but not obvious.

Amigos Red (Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro) 2011
Savoury smoked sausage, almost a burnt note, undergrowth. Nice darkness, good fruit, smokiness well-integrated, good grip but still fresh. Not just simple fruit.

Tiger Country (Tempranillo, Graciano, Petit Verdot) 2010
Very dusty red earth notes, tight but soft tannins, nice balance of fruit, quite dense could use some more time.

IMG_3900

McHenry Hohnen Amigos White Blend

 

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April 10, 2014 · 8:42 pm

The Vincast with Ed Merrison the Bonnezeaux Gonzo

Ed Merrison has a very unique perspective on wine, particularly Australian wine. Firstly as he is a freelance journalist with an open mind, a thirst for a unique angle, and a desire to tell a story rather than simply the facts. Secondly, he is an Englishman with very little family background in wine. He moved to Melbourne in 2002 with his Australian wife, and through being introduced via the local wine culture and also travelling to a number of wine regions, found Australian wine and the people who work with it to be authentic, vibrant and honest. On this episode of The Vincast he talks about his journey and his passions.

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Ed Merrison

Ed Merrison

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January 23, 2014 · 9:26 am

The Vincast with Richard Burch of Burch Family Wines

Burch Family Wines although new in name originates back in the mid 1980s, when Howard Park was first established in the Denmark area of Great Southern in Western Australia. In the last 30 years or so it has gone from strength to strength, expanding to the Margaret River and recently becoming a member of Australia’s First Families of Wine, an initiative designed to highlight the unique regions and families behind some of the countries best loved producers. Richard Burch is one of the ‘next gen’ of the group, and he joins me to talk about what this means to him as well as some of the exciting initiatives the group is engaging in to get the message out to the world.

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Richard Burch

Richard Burch

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August 31, 2013 · 1:42 pm

Voyager Estate Masterclass 2013

For the fifth year in a row, Margaret River producer Voyager Estate hosted a masterclass in Melbourne and other Australian cities to benchmark new releases of some of their wines. This was my second time at this event; one of my first entries on this blog spoke about the first time back in September of 2011, just before I left for my trip. The exercise is designed to show sommeliers, buyers and media that Voyager is very confident about the quality of their wine against exceptional examples from around the world. Showing even more hubris, they do this against their three key wines; chardonnay, shiraz and a cabernet/merlot blend. That’s serious chutzpah.

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September 22, 2011 · 10:22 pm

Voyager Estate Benchmarking Masterclass and More

Although I have now finished at King & Godfree and am frantically making final preparations for my trip, I am still making time to head out to some trade activity around Melbourne. It’s good to get out and try some wines before I go as it will be awhile before I drink Australian wines again. It’s kind of why I’m spending time in South Australia around my graduation ceremony in Adelaide next week. Not having visited the Barossa or the Clare I thought it pertinent considering I am about to travel around the world! Posts will follow about the jaunt next week (assuming I have time before I go).

Decant, decant, decant

Decant, decant, decant

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