Tag: Red

Taylors Estate, Merlot 2010 Review

Taylors Estate, Merlot 2010

Although Merlot is the most common variety of grape grown in France, it’s never really hit its straps as a single varietal in the Australian wine market. Perhaps that’s because Merlot grapes tend to ripen too quickly in warm climates, or because Aussies just prefer the softness that it brings when blended with Cabernet and…
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Gibbston Valley, Gold River 2011 Review

Gibbston Valley, Gold River 2011

Buying Pinot Noir can be a tricky business; not just because of the wide range of wines available or the diverse regions that they hail from, but because the price point can increase exponentially as the quality improves. Finding value is truly a balancing exercise between price point and quality. Pinot is a difficult grape…
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Turkey Flat, Butchers Block 2010 Review

Turkey Flat, Butchers Block 2010

Question: When is a GSM not a GSM? Answer: When it comes from the Barossa Valley. While the blend of Grenache Shiraz (or Syrah) and Mouvedre (also called Mataro) (“GSM”) is the calling card of the southern Rhone region in France, some Australian producers have also had remarkable success with the marriage of the “Holy…
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Meerea Park, 'The Aunts' Shiraz 2010 Review

Meerea Park, ‘The Aunts’ Shiraz 2010

Look out South Australia, here come the new styles of Hunter Valley Shiraz that have cast off their earthy coat of viticultural mouldiness and arrived clean, glammed up and ready for a rich berry-fruited party on your palate! And the guest of honour on this occasion is the Meerea Park 2010 ‘The Aunts’ Shiraz. Made…
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Westlake, Eleazar Shiraz 2009 Review

Westlake, Eleazar Shiraz 2009

If ever you needed proof that bigger is not better, look no further than the Westlake Eleazar Vineyard in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. Their flagship Shiraz, the “Eleazar”, sells at around $55 a bottle but is as good a Barossa Shiraz as I’ve tried in the last year. They only produce about 70 cases of…
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John Duval, Plexus 2009 Review

John Duval, Plexus 2009

The 2009 edition of the John Duval Plexus is a colourful affair – not just because of the lively purple hue of the wine in the glass, but the vibrancy and playfulness of the perfumed fruits as they hit the nose and then pass across the palate. John Duval is perhaps best known for his…
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Peter Lehmann, Art Series Shiraz 2009 Review

Peter Lehmann, Art Series Shiraz 2009

Big, bold Shiraz is synonymous with the Barossa Valley and it’s difficult to think of a more prominent winemaker from the region than Peter Lehmann. The Stonewell Shiraz may be his flagship, but as the style goes, his second-stringers do much more than make up the numbers. The latest release of the Peter Lehmann Art…
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Balgownie Estate, Shiraz 2008 Review

Balgownie Estate, Shiraz 2008

I may be biased, or it may just be personal preference, but I’ve never been terribly keen on Bendigo as a wine producing region. At least that was the case until a friend slipped me a bottle of the Balgownie Estate 2008 Shiraz ($30-35) from none other than Maiden Gully in the Bendigo region of…
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Charles Melton, The Father in Law Shiraz 2009 Review

Charles Melton, The Father in Law Shiraz 2009

I occasionally hear Barossa Valley Shiraz described as “too ripe”, “too powerful” or “too expensive”, and while I don’t agree with those descriptors, there is a nice compromise currently available that exhibits the Barossa nose but in a medium-bodied style which won’t blow the budget. The 2009 The Father in Law Shiraz is made by…
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Massena , Saperavi 2010 Review

Massena, Saperavi 2010

If you’ve never heard of Saperavi, then I’m possibly not alone! No, it’s not a Spanish swear word, but rather a grape native to Georgia (as in the former Soviet Bloc State) and as old as the hills it grows in! I’d never tried one until I recently happened upon the Massena Saperavi (2010) at…
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