Yalumba, Barossa, Bush Vine, Grenache 2007 The nose features red fruit, fresh and dried with herbs and brambles. In the mouth the wine is soft, fruity and very light-bodied. The vines that produced this wine are 30 to 70 years old. Produced in Angaston 14.5% $11.99 at Bottle Barn Yalumba

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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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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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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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Both wines in this flight display deep concentration and a tannic backbone. The difference in style comes in the use of oak and the display of acidity. The Thorn-Clarke exudes oak while the d’Arenberg Magpie is enhanced by acidity to make it a gem with food.
Thorn-Clarke Barossa Shotfire Shiraz 2006
Sourced from the family’s Kabiningie [...]

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This flight illustrates the divide between European and New World approaches. The Pesquera has complementary brett that works but offends some. The Yalumba is ripe and supple.
Pesquera Ribera del Duero DO Reserva 2001
100% Tempranillo. P&B by Alejandro Fernandez in Pesquera in Valladolid 13.5% $34.89 at Bottle Barn Pesquera
Yalumba Barossa Hand Picked TGV 2005
Ripe [...]

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