There’s little doubt that the average red wine consumer demands a “drink now” style that exhibits lively fruit and a well-balanced finale, but if you’re prepared to be patient, then the 2009 “The Gate” Shiraz (by Shingleback) will be very rewarding. I could be wrong about this, but I get the impression that the current…
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You might call me a “Pinot-phile”, but I can never get enough of those really good cool climate Pinots that present an aromatic nose, fragrant berries and which finish just a touch dry. The Kiwis have always done Pinot well and the Greystone Waipara Pinot Noir 2008 is no exception to the rule. What is…
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There’s no better time of year to grab a bottle of red and curl up in front of the fire with a big block of chocolate; and there’s not too many better candidates for the role than the 2009 Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz. While I love the fruit driven, over-ripe blockbusting styles that we often see…
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Bright as a button, the vibrancy of the colour is overshadowed only by the spicy sweetness of the fruit. Lifted violets on the nose pre-empt the prettiness of the wine but it’s the plump red cherries in the middle that give this wine its mojo. There are fine tannins at the end, but they struggle…
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From vines first planted in 1860 in the Southern Barossa Valley, the Linfield Road wines certainly have maturity of vines on their side! The 2006 “The Black Hammer” Cabernet Sauvignon ($18-22 a bottle) is slightly dirty in the glass but has a herbaceous, cedary nose that invites immediate imbibement. At first, the rich fruit titillates…
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If you’re a fan of McLaren Vale Shiraz, but don’t appreciate the overwhelming “sweetness” that can creep into some South Australian versions of the style, then this may be a wine for you. The fruit is full and rich and offers a hint of smokey chocolate; the texture is more glide than chew; and the…
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There really is something fishy about the 2008 Fat Fish Shiraz from the irrepressible Barossa Valley. It’s not the dark (if not almost black!) colour of the wine that beguiles the palate. And there’s nothing unusual about a wine conceived in the region showing such deep ripe berries that rise to a crescendo on the…
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The Shingleback McLaren Vale Shiraz is a wonderfully consistent wine and the 2007 release is no exception. It’s bright in the glass, bold up front with dark berries and mocha on the front palate, savoury cedar in the middle and has just a hint of spiciness in the finale. In its youthful state the obvious…
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Although you’d expect it at the $70.00 plus price point, winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner has crafted another cracker of a wine with his current release 2008 Giaconda Pinot Noir. The blend of Yarra Valley and Beechworth (Victoria) grapes strikes the perfect balance of structure and fruit. It’s mid-ruby in the glass, gamey on the nose but…
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The Lost Wine Found – It may not be a well-known style but Carmenere is a wine set to stage an almighty comeback thanks to its rise as the signature varietal of the Chilean wine industry. Carmenere is often referred to as the ‘lost grape of Bordeaux’ as a result of the vines being wiped…
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