Tag Archives: Victoria

August 21, 2013 · 10:04 pm

Knights Granite Hills – 20/08/2013

Riesling 2012
Lovely bright fresh floral sherbet citrus. Nice mid-palate weight and texture, a Riesling if actual personality.

Riesling 2005
Slightly more closed on the nose, protective state. Starting to show some oily texture, developing a little bit but still tight fresh and holding fruit.

Chardonnay 2012
Very delicate crisp citrus pith. Nice clean pure bright fruit, not much oak or malo character, just beautiful bright fruit.

Tor Chardonnay 2009
Very quite subdued lees derived complexity, very delicate toast. Quite robust and rich, tight bold and a little brooding smoky for now.

Pinot Noir 2010
Black cherry, a little too simple, lacking finesse/structure. Earthy.

Tor Pinot Noir 2009
Darker sweeter black fruits, generous earthy but not aggressive. For the style is exceptional, soft yet robust, dark yet fresh.

The Gordon Cabernet blend 2007
Tighter jubier cassis florals. Core of earthy dark fruit, perfect sweet spot.

Shiraz 2006
Dark olive, blackberry, a little hot and tannic, possibly from oak, surprisingly dark for the region. On the warm and sweet side.

Tor Syrah 2006
More perfumed aromatically vibrant, sweet black pepper. Bright fresh vibrant on the palate, expressive generous tannic but rounder and softer tannins.

Winemaker Llew talks about his wines

Winemaker Llew talks about his wines

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August 21, 2013 · 8:05 pm

Domaine Epis – 20/08/2013

Rosé 2013
Quite intense robust, a little tight and reductive, good juicy red fruit. Robust red cherry strawberry, good length, done bright cherry tomato, some savoury texture too.

Chardonnay 2012
Pure flinty round ripe citrus notes. Dense concentrated quite earthy rich yeasty texture, fairly savoury but light restrained.

Chardonnay 2011
Riper rubenesque cheesy tight focused. Round generous not heavy or fat but broad.

Pinot Noir 2012
An interesting spice cardamon clove turmeric herb note, tight dark fruits. In character somewhere between syrah and pinot noir. Very light and bright.

Cabernet 2010
Lean tight bright. A touch underripe. Region not right for the variety/style in my humble opinion.

Domaine Epis wines

Domaine Epis wines

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August 21, 2013 · 7:52 pm

Curly Flat – 20/08/2013

Pinot Gris 2012
Quite intense and concentrated, slightly dusty musky fig guava. Layered texture and weight, but still bright fresh and spritzy, tight fresh fleshy citrus pith, round residual sugar.

Chardonnay 2010
Classic aromatics, rich developed but very elegant and restrained. Quite tight and lean on the palate, good acidity, minimal malo character, carries it well, excellent example.

Chardonnay 2011
A little fatter and fuller on the nose, more leesy, a little on the pineapple peach style. A little broader and creamier but style fine and long, a little closed for now.

Pinot Noir 2008
Tight lean slightly stalky, dark berries, precise fine focused. Fresh bright but tight lean and focused, some black olives.

Pinot Noir 2009
Slightly darker in colour. More brooding and open, but quite focused pomegranate, a little on the savoury side. Rich full sweeter tannins, generous chewy savoury tannins too, broader on the palate, intense and extracted but long too.

Pinot Noir 2010
Quite closed, very tight precise, small bunch red berry. Very delicate but intense fruit profile, precise crisp acids.  Wine of the tasting, exceptionally well handled and will hold together for a long time.

Curly Flat cellar door, only open on weekends

Curly Flat cellar door, only open on weekends

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August 20, 2013 · 10:37 pm

Paramoor – 20/08/2013

2013 MG Chard Barrel
Lovely bright apple cider notes, crisp fresh long pure. Excellent balance.

Paramoor Chardonnay 2013

Paramoor Chardonnay 2013

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July 11, 2013 · 3:47 pm

Montalto – 10/07/2013

Montalto was one of the first wineries I visited, all the way back in 2005. Even then they had garnered much praise for their restaurant which continues to be one of the best on the Mornington Peninsula. The winery received five stars from Australian Wine Icon James Halliday, and from memory this had much to do with the superior site selection and vine age, and less with winemaking. Back then the fruit would be loaded up and ferried across Port Phillip Bay to the Bellarine Peninsula based Scotchman’s Hill winery.

In an effort to improve quality the owners made two important decisions. The first was to build their own winery within the region, and the second was to appoint Simon Black as the winemaker. In the last few years Simon has been making some changes to how the wines are made, such as keeping parcels separate, allowing oxidative handling, encouraging lees contact (even using previous vintage lees), and careful use of oak. At this stage I am liking the direction the wines are going as they distinguish themselves from much of the region’s wines. It is still early days and there is a lot of improvement to come in terms of quality and personality.

Pennon Hill Chardonnay 2012
Clean pure stone fruit classic Mornington fruit profile, a hint of malo fat old oak. Full and textured, fruit not broad or flabby, nor sweet. Certainly going for more texture and savoury, but possibly a tad brutish at the moment. Cheese rind plain yoghurt.

Estate Chardonnay 2012
Tighter more brooding subtlety, oakier density, toastier salted butter. Rounder yet more focused through the mid-palate, more integrated texture and savoury notes, maturity of citrus fruit.

Pennon Hill Pinot Noir 2012
Bright ruby black cherry blood plum. Purity zing freshness, straight, not fat or fruit-sweet, not grainy or broad.

Estate Pinot Noir 2012
Darker sweeter fruit profile, juicier esters. Bolder fuller body and texture, builds a bit more on the palate, more length with integrated oak. Enough fruit generosity? Too much savoury texture?

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July 7, 2013 · 8:01 pm

Craiglee – 6/07/2013

There happened to be a Craiglee lunch held at my new place of employment (Bellota Wine Bar, part of Prince Wine Store in South Melbourne) on Saturday and after service finished I had a look at some of the wines that were left over. Here are some of my thoughts.

I sold the Craiglee Shiraz back when I was the wine buyer at King & Godfree; Pat Carmody has been making wine in Sunbury for quite a while and his reputation is richly deserved.

Shiraz 2010
Chocolatey spicy pomegranate blackcurrant. Quite supple and very long, sour plum raisin, generous but focused.

Shiraz 2004
Blackcurrant liquorice. Denser structure, deeper tannins, more young in appearance than the 2010.

Shiraz 1997
Much more savoury meaty earthy hints of spice. Brighter and fresher but fruit subsided and more dark spice notes developing.

Shiraz 1995
Deeper and more mellow. Tight and lean, minerality showing a bit more, purity of tannin.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Dense full structure but still soft earthy tannins and fruit.

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July 2, 2013 · 7:23 pm

By Farr – 22/06/2013

By Farr Viognier 2010
Concentrated yet subtle, spicy almond pit, dried chive lime quince. Surprisingly light, clean complex long, slight salty texture, brisk. Young.

Farr Rising Chardonnay 2012
Hints of elderflower, citrus blossom, tight stone fruit. Vibrant fresh slight mineral texture, orange rind and small white peach.

By Farr Chardonnay 2011
Beautiful classic grapefruit pith lees old oak complexity, a little smoky creamy. Quite dense and intense concentration, a slight savoury texture late on the palate, layered and rich yet fresh. Lots of life yet.

Farr Rising Pinot Noir 2011
Really bright intense fresh cherries with a little spice for kicks. On the stalky side adding some spicy texture, fresh light body but intense flavour.

By Farr Farrside Pinot Noir 2011
Lighter more closed palate, more subtle fruit characters, more integrated spice notes. Lovely purity, locked away somewhat.

By Farr Sangreal Pinot Noir 2011
Slightly earthier but nonetheless elegant and fine, subtle beyond belief. More spice density and texture.

By Farr Tout Pres Pinot Noir 2010
Much more concentrated dark earth and fruit, bolder sweeter spice. Fuller tannins forward on the palate but still incredibly lively and fresh, showing red cherry raspberry. Almost nebbiolo like.

By Farr Shiraz 2010
Light colour for the variety. Wonderfully lifted white pepper. Dense fruit structure, fleshy without being heavy, vibrant and friendly.

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June 24, 2013 · 3:50 pm

Sommeliers Australia Yarra Valley Sub-regional Tasting – 17/06/2013

The Wanderer Yarra Pinot Noir 2010
Bright red cherry spicy nutty camembert. Soft smooth silky fresh, pure and light, pleasant yet persistent.

The Wanderer Yarra Pinot Noir 2011
More strawberry almost fairy floss sherbet. More acid tightness, bright very brisk and fresh, a bite on the mid-palate, a touch sharp for now.

The Wanderer Yarra Pinot Noir 2012
More closed and tight on the nose, less overt fresh fruit, still red. Rounder smoother yet still some savoury bite, good acids but approachable fruits.

The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir 2010
Earthy slightly leathery forest notes mushroom. Soft but full of flavour, long finish, great balance, a little wild.

The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir 2011
A tad muted in comparison . Some concentration of tannin and acid, quite mature and tight, another one bites the dust.

The Wanderer Upper Yarra Pinot Noir 2012
Salad with dressing, I think Greek, some soy balsamic savoury notes. Quite wild and raw almost feral, oxidatively handled, still fresh but no primary fruit notes, very against the grain.

Mayer Bloody Hill Pinot Noir 2010
Tight slightly meaty, mushroomy earth. Sweet core of dark red black fruits, purity freshness yet balance savoury open.

Mayer Bloody Hill Pinot Noir 2011
Tighter more earthy mushroom density. Feral barnyard wildness, as un-Yarra Valley as you can get, dare I say Burgundian? Great acid but intense savoury notes.

Mayer Bloody Hill Pinot Noir 2012
Almost chocolatey black forest cherry. Tightly wound briskness and freshness.

Mayer Close Planted Pinot Noir 2010
Intense dirty earthy yet bright and fresh nose. Clean red fruits, classic Yarra Valley style of pinot noir.

Mayer Close Planted Pinot Noir 2011
Slightly more closed, fresh clean lean friendly and open, atypical of the vintage, full and long.

Mayer Close Planted Pinot Noir 2012
Density and earthy savoury notes. Concentration and intense acids, pow punch bold yet light and fresh.

Gembrook Hill Villages Pinot Noir 2010
Tightr closed pale nose. Fresh pure slightly red fruit sweet, pleasant varietal regional character.

Gembrook Hill Villages Pinot Noir 2011
Meaty red tomato savoury raspberries. Zingy acids very tight light and sharp, extremely fresh.

Gembrook Hill Villages Pinot Noir 2012
Very closed and reductive. Too tightly wound for now, acid a little too forward.

Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir 2010
Exquisitely subtle beautifully balanced. Complete yet tight, needs much time, simply stunning. Even better than the first time I tasted it way back in 2011.

Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir 2011
Meaty red sauce again, more concentrated and a little bit flimsy.

Gembrook Hill Pinot Noir 2012
Tight. Focused bright crunchy acids, will open up nicely in time.

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May 18, 2013 · 11:44 am

The Wanderer – 13/05/2013

Chenin Blanc 2012
Finesse and elegance, restraint and florals. Clean light fresh, not overly sweet but long.

Rosé 2011
Lovely savoury style. Plenty of personality and excitement, food friendly balanced and long.

Lower Yarra Pinot Noir 2011
Light style characteristic of the vintage, nice savoury fungal game aromas. Vibrant but fresh and intense, tight lean and long.

Upper Yarra Pinot noir 2011
A bit leaner and quieter, but bolder and more intense on the palate. Still very fresh but more contained and potential to be explosive.

Shiraz 2011
Wilder herbal pepper notes, a touch green spice. A little too raw and wild, too much whole bunch, overwhelms fruit.

Carinyena Catalunya 2010
Dense and reflective of variety and region.

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May 18, 2013 · 11:37 am

Punch – 13/05/2013

Gippsland Chardonnay 2010
Subtle and elegant, citrus pith. Intense lean straight elegant finesse and length. My kind of chardonnay.

Quartz Reef Pinot Noir 2010
Bright juicy floral pretty red fruit nose. Very intense and a little hot. Too concentrated.

Bannockburn Syrah 2010
Tight but very vibrant lifted aromas, juicy purple fruits but nice green spice and pepper. Bright juicy fresh yet fine and balanced in the palate.

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