Clarendon Hills Clarendon Brookman Merlot 2005
Roman Bratasiuk pulls no punches with his opulent wines. This Merlot features ripe fruit and the cigar box characters we often associate with Bordeaux. The texture is oh so plush. P&B in Blewitt Springs 14.5% $60 suggested retail in the United States Clarendon Hills
Geyser Peak Alexander Valley Reserve Alexandre Meritage [...]

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d’Arenberg McLaren Vale The Custodian Grenache 2005
Juicy warm fruit and earthy notes in a supple package. Grown, produced and bottled in McLaren Vale 14.5% $14.79 at Bottle Barn d’Arenberg
Torbreck Barossa Valley Woodcutter’s Shiraz 2006
The reductive notes of Northern Rhone Syrah with a core of fruit and some tannic grip. Grown and made in Naramanga 14.5% [...]

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Harvest Moon Russian River Valley Dry Gewurztraminer 2007
Estate grown fruit and some oak treatment. G, P&B in Santa Rosa. 12.5% $?? at the winery, winery sample Harvest Moon
Rosemount Estate South Eastern Australia Traminer Riesling 2005
65% Gewurz and 35% Riesling. P&B in Denman in New South Wales. 11.5% $4.99 at Bottle Barn Rosemount

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Innocent Bystander Victoria Moscato 2007
This wine is so pretty - it has the essence of Muscat’s perfume in a light-bodied format. It would be perfect with a light dessert of fresh berries in the summer. Produced in Healesville 5.5% $8.99 (375ml) at K&L Innocent Bystander

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d’Arenberg Mclaren Vale The Peppermint Paddock Sparkling Red Chambourcin
Loads of overt fruit mark this a fun quaffer. Grown, produced and bottled in McLaren Vale 14.5% $$17.99 at K&L d’Arenberg
Charles Melton Sparkling Red
This is amazingly delicious with complexity, length and the supple texture that one desires in Sparkling Shiraz. Produced in Tanunda and bottled n [...]

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Taltarni Victoria & Tasmania Brut Tache Rose
52% Chardonnay, 41% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Meunier. A bit of red wine is added at disgorging. P&B in Moonambel in Victoria 13% $13.99 at K&L Taltarni
Taltarni Tasmania Clover Hill Brut Sparkling Wine 2003
Clover Hill is a single vineyard selection from the vineyard of the same name in [...]

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Yalumba Coonawarra The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
The 2002 smelled of cigar box, tobacco, light green pepper and a hint of pickle. In the mouth there was ample acidity which carriesd the juicy red flavors for a long time. Sourced from their Menzies Vineyard. Aged in French and US oak. Winemaker Peter Gambetta 13.5% $32.49 at [...]

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Mollydooker South Australia Merlot 2006
Sourced from Padthaway and McLaren Vale 15.5% $18.99 at Bottle Barn Mollydooker

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Pepper Tree Hunter Valley Semillon 2005
This baby is screaming with acidity - very green and right on target. Put it to bed for the long haul and enjoy it when it matures. 100% Semillon fermented in stainless. Winemaker Chris Cameron. Produced in Pokolbin 11.5% $15.99 at Traverso’s  Pepper Tree

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Margan Hunter Valley Botrytis Semillon 2005
This wines has tropical fruit and the volatility that accompanies many botrytis wines. The palate is very thick and the acidity seems shy though the stats say otherwise at 10 g/L. RS 12.7%, alcohol 10.5% $25 (375ml) at Traverso’s Margan
Peter Lehmann Barossa Botrytis Semillon 2001
There’s wet straw and caramel in [...]

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Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Mild green elements add a nice complexity to the cherry fruit. This is a light-bodied Cabernet with a complementary level of acidity. All Cabernet aged in new and used French and US oak. Winemaker Sue Hodder 13.5% $12.99 at K&L Wynns
Pirramimma McLaren Vale Petit Verdot 2003
This wine is quite refined, showing [...]

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Cape Mentelle Margaret River Chardonnay 2005
Loads of toasty oak from the nose to the palate with enough acidity to maintain a refreshing character. Fermented in French oak and aged 9 months on the lees. P&B in Margaret River 14.5% $19.49 at Bottle Barn Cape Mentelle

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This flight follows-up on last week’s. We repeat the d’Arenberg Dead Arm (see previous notes) with two other heavy weights in the Shiraz kingdom.
Clarendon Hills Clarendon Liandra Vineyard Syrah 2002
This wine sports an outlandish amount of fruit, mixing the fresh with the raisins. Smells of coffee and smoky oak add complexity and the acid provides [...]

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Spinifex Barossa Valley Esprit 2004
There is sweet black fruit and tar in the nose. The mouth shows a soft structure that is lush. The in-mouth flavors are very fruity in a candied way. This GSM blend is 36% Grenache, 34% Shiraz, 20% Mourvedre and 10% Cinsault, sourced from six vineyards in the Barossa and Eden [...]

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Henschke Eden Valley Julius Riesling 2006
Full-on aromas of lime are enhanced by high acidity in the mouth and long-lasting flavor. Of course the fame for Henschke is with their red wines based on Shiraz. What delighted me most when I visited, however, was the care put into their white wines as well. This wine is [...]

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d’Arenberg McLaren Vale The Dead Arm Shiraz 2005
In the nose there is vibrant fruit enhanced by earth and complementary oak. There’s a mouthful of dense fruit as well to keep up with a big structure in this youthful Shiraz - deliciously chewy. Aged in new and one use French and US oak for 22 months. [...]

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Clarendon Hills Clarendon Kangarilla Grenache 2004
Vibrant black fruit, actually liquer-like in the nose. The palate is spiritous, ripe, framed with acidity around a vast expanse of fruitiness. Sourced from old Grenache vines in the Kangarilla Vineyard. P&B in Blewitt Springs 14.5% $55.99 at Bottle Barn Clarendon Hills
Turkey Flat Barossa Valley Butchers Block 2005
A complex medley [...]

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