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: South 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
Bubbling Red
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, … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, McLaren Vale, South Australia
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Merlot in Transit
Mollydooker South Australia Merlot 2006 Sourced from Padthaway and McLaren Vale 15.5% $18.99 at Bottle Barn Mollydooker
Posted in Australia, Merlot, South Australia
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Bordeaux Grapes in the New World
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 … Continue reading
This isn’t Madeira
Though we often associate Verdelho with the volcanic island of Madeira, there is also a following for this grape in Australia. It makes up less than 5% of the total white grape harvest but still out paces ever fashionable Viognier. … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Verdelho
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Australian Port
Penfolds South Australia Club Tawny Port nv The last bottle tasted was maple syrup personified with completely integrated alcohol. Made from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre and matured in small oak in Kalimna. The wine was subsequently bottled at Penfolds facility … Continue reading
Australian Chardonnay is Not Cut of One Cloth
In this latest taste-off, we look at a Kiwi Chardonnay alongside the Giaconda. Babich Hawke’s Bay Unoaked Chardonnay 2006 This wine is all stainless steel. P&B in Henderson 13.5% $10.99 at K&L Babich Two delicious wines, two very different interpretations … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Chardonnay, Hawke's Bay, McLaren Vale, New Zealand, South Australia, Victoria
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