Wine Regions & Grapes
Sampling of Wineries
Acorn Andrea Oberto Atlas Peak Benziger Beringer Blandy's Bodega Navarro Correas Burgans Cantina Terlano Chimney Rock Chronicle Domaine Carneros Domaine de la Mordoree Dow's Dr. Loosen Emilio Lustau Fonseca Foxen Gaston Riviere Glen Ellen Hess Collection Innocent Bystander Kendall-Jackson Korbel La Caudrina Luna Vineyards Madeira Wine Company Martin Codax Masi Merryvale Mulderbosch Navarro Vineyards Pahlmeyer Roederer Estate Ruggeri Sawyer Cellars Sbragia Six Sigma Winery St. James Steltzner Vineyards Trinchero Winery Trione V. Sattui Winery William Fevre Wilson Winery
Category Archives: Australia
Clarendon Hills Piggot Range Syrah 2005
Clarendon Hills, Clarendon, Piggot Range, Syrah 2005 The nose shows smoky oak and sweet black fruit. In the mouth the fruit is quite expressive and ripe, with an extremely silky texture and great length. It’s a treat to taste a … Continue reading
Mollydooker Goose Bumps 2006
Mollydooker, South Australia, Goose Bumps, Sparkling Shiraz 2006 In the nose the oak makes a statement with sweet black fruit. The texture in the mouth is masterful, actually velvety displaying the flavors of blackberry, coffee and freshly-split oak. Proprietors Sarah … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, South Australia, Sparkling Dry, Syrah
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New World Pinot Noir
All three of the wines in this flight were bottled under screwcap closures. I made my notes after lecturing a bit so they sat in the glasses for about 40 minutes before I started typing. Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Pinot Noir … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Pinot Noir, Victoria
Tagged Amisfield, Innocent Bystander, Oyster Bay
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Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir 2009
Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Pinot Noir 2009 There are lively black fruits in the nose, especially after 30 minutes. Add to that brown spices, a hint of thyme, spearmint and bubble gum sweetness. In the mouth this light-bodied Pinot delivers on … Continue reading
Heartland Viognier Pinot Gris 2006
Heartland, South Australia, Viognier, Pinot Gris 2006 The nose features fresh peaches, candied tropical fruits and spicy flowers. On the palate this wine is quite broad, lowish in acidity, conveying a richness yet emphasizing the vineyard over the winemaking. The … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Langhorne Creek, Pinot Gris and Grigio, South Australia, Viognier
Tagged Heartland
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Penfolds Club Reserve Aged Tawny
Penfolds, South Australia, Club Reserve, Aged Tawny nv In the nose you’ll find raisins and butterscotch with a sense of the spirit in the background. This all carries on in the mouth with nuttiness, sweetness and well-integrated alcohol. Like the value-oriented … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Fortified dessert, Grenache, Mourvedre, Port, South Australia, Syrah, Tawny Port
Tagged Penfolds
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Brokenwood Semillon 2004
Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, Oakey Creek Vineyard, Semillon 2004 Give this just 10 minutes in the glass to blow off a bit of sulfur. Then the toasty character comes on, quite a complex wine with nuttiness and a bit of spicy … Continue reading
Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris 2009
Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Pinot Gris 2009 In the nose you’ll find a medley of fruits, from pears and peaches to pineapple and kiwi, all sprinkled with flowers of a sweet nature. The mouth delivers the fruit with a creamy texture, … Continue reading
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate, South Eastern Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 This is a light-bodied quaffer, a Cabernet that is smooth and fruity with a touch of sweetness. Here is a Cabernet to try if you’re hesitant about this grape. Often the … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, South Eastern Australia
Tagged McWilliam's Hanwood Estate
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d’Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz 2005
d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale, The Footbolt, Shiraz 2005 The nose features liquer-like character, a concentration of candied black fruit, a hint of eucalyptus and some subtle volatility. In the mouth the fruit is in force, the feel is silky and a … Continue reading
Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2004
Petaluma, Piccadilly Valley, Chardonnay 2004 The nose offers toastiness, freshly split oak and vanilla with a sense of ripe, tropical fruit. In the mouth the viscosity is matched by steely acidity, combining the best of Burgundian austerity and Australian flamboyance. … Continue reading
Posted in Adelaide Hills, Australia, Chardonnay, Piccadilly Valley, South Australia
Tagged Petaluma
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Innocent Bystander Shiraz-Viognier 2006
Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Shiraz-Viognier 2006 It’s very neat how you get the ripeness of Shiraz, the black fruits that we love, with the cooler climate marker of black pepper, all in one bottle. This is a great walk down the … Continue reading
Shoofly Chardonnay 2008
Shoofly, Adelaide Hills, Chook Raffle, Chardonnay 2008 Give this wine a bit of air to blow off the initial matchstick character. Then you’ll find a medley of green apples, peaches and minerality. In the mouth it is crisp and driven … Continue reading
Posted in Adelaide Hills, Australia, Chardonnay, South Australia
Tagged Shoofly Wines
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hazard hill Semillon Sauvignon 2008
hazard hill, Western Australia, semillon sauvignon Blanc 2008 Breezy and fresh, this wine shows grass and citrus in the nose. In the mouth it is crisp and clean, with concentrated flavors of lime and lime zest and a little petilance … Continue reading
Pirramimma Shiraz 2005
Pirramimma, McLaren Vale, Shiraz 2005 There’s a heavy heft of oak in this wine, from the beginning to the end with a dark chocolate character as well. Winemaker Geoff Johnston GP&B in McLaren Vale 14% $18.79 at Bottle Barn Pirramimma
Posted in Australia, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Syrah
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d’Arenberg Hermit Crab 2008
d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale, The Hermit Crab 2008 The nose features a combo of the herbaceousness that we can find with Marsanne and the overt peaches that we often see with Viognier. The mouth shows us an oily richness overtop of … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Marsanne, McLaren Vale, Rhone Blend, South Australia, Viognier
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Brokenwood Semillon 2008
Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, Semillon 2008 This Semillon is crisp and lean, with flavors of lemon and green apple. The experience is amplified by a bit of petillance. The Hunter is famous for producing lowish alcohol wines from early picked Semillon … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Semillon
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McWilliam’s Chardonnay 2007
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate, South Eastern Australia, Chardonnay 2007 In the nose there is plenty of fruit, from pear to tropicals like papaya. In the mouth the freshness of the fruit is front and center, accentuated by just enough acidity, with … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia
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Chambers Rutherglen Muscat
Chambers Rosewood Vineyards, Rutherglen, Muscat nv The nose smells of oranges and brown spices, as if wound into a custard. In the mouth the wine is rich, very complex, soft and luxurious. This wine and others like it from Rutherglen … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Fortified dessert, Muscat, Rutherglen, Victoria
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McWilliam’s Hanwood Riesling 2007
McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate, South Eastern Australia, Riesling 2007 Lime and petrol combine in the nose with a bit of fresh, sweet flowers. In the mouth there is a nice sweetart character; this light-bodied Riesling is clean and refreshing. The RS … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Riesling, South Eastern Australia
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Robert Oatley Pinot Grigio 2008
Robert Oatley, South Australia, Pinot Grigio 2008 This is 100% Pinot Grigio; most of the grapes were sourced from Currency Creek, south of my alma mater Adelaide and a bit came in from the Alpine Valleys of Victoria. Production was … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Pinot Gris and Grigio, South Australia
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Grosset Polish Hill 2008
Grosset, Clare Valley, Polish Hill, Riesling 2008 As in the past, lots of lime that goes a long time! Tasted again in January ’10, the classic petrol notes are coming out. Grosset always captures the notion of concentrated wine and … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Clare Valley, Riesling, South Australia
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Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz 2008
Lindemans, South Eastern Australia, Bin 50 Shiraz 2008 In the nose there is a light level of black fruits and oaky essence. The wine is very light-bodied with sweet black fruit, a little low-level RS and a touch of grippiness. … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, South Eastern Australia, Syrah
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d’Arenberg Dead Arm 2006
d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale, The Dead Arm, Shiraz 2006 This wine is dense all around, from the color to the palate. Black fruits combine with hints of eucalyptus. The mouth is taught, just a baby yet the tannins are ripe with … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Syrah
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Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir 2007
Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Pinot Noir 2007 This is one of those Pinots that has the smoky character of an ashtray. In the mouth, there are green characters and astringency – a disappointment from this producer. The grapes are sourced from … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Pinot Noir, Victoria
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Omrah Pinot Noir 2007
Plantagenet, Western Australia, Omrah, Pinot Noir 2007 The wine smells of earth and cherries. In the mouth, the smells repeat with a touch of the richness of oak. This is a good value Pinot. The grapes are from vineyards in … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Pinot Noir, Western Australia
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5 Bordeaux grapes and 3 continents
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 … Continue reading
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