2007 Primo Estate Zamberlan

When I purchased my first wine fridge, the aim was to find great value wines with aging potential and watch them improve over time into something much better than the price would suggest. This is a classic example. Purchased from the Cellar Door for $17AUD 3 years ago when a bit rough around the edges, it has developed into something really good. Lovely aromas of blackcurrant, cherry and spice. Medium bodied, nice structure with firm tannins. The score 87/100 ( very good to excellent). A solid wine that at the price has proven to be a bargain.

2008 Martinborough Vineyard "Te Tera" Pinot Noir

The Martinborough journey continues. I am struggling to find an Australian pinot that is as consistant as this region. Recently, I have tasted 2006-current vintages from this region and the consistent quality and core, unmistakeable, Martinborough characteristics shine through.
Anyway, back to the wine. Purchased from Vintage Cellars Coorparoo for $38. Dark crimson colour. Plum and spice nose and a tiny bit of sweetness. The palate has subtle oak and ultra fine tannin. Beautiful red fruit, pepper and spice dominate and last forever. This is a great wine. 90/100 and i would buy this again in an instant.

2006 Murdoch James Martinborough Pinot Noir

2006, Talked up as one of the great years, lets see.

Dark Crimson colour which surprised me a little. Nose is exceptional, barnyard floor and a hint of spice and cinnamon. I sat smelling this wine for a long time before tasting. On the palate, definite aged characters coming through. Lovely mouth feel with plum and spice, some tanin but on the way out. Great finish, however the nose lead me to expect more. Still a lovely wine which i would buy as long as its available. 90/100, awesome nose but a touch thin on the palate.

2009 Mt Horrocks Watervale Shiraz

Purchased cellar door for $35. Was at Mt Horrocks specifically to taste the Cabernet, as well as make the first weekend of the Grosset cellar door for 2011 which is just down the road (they open for about 6 weeks only). Tasted this and bought a couple in the moment. The wine is being promoted as 'remarkable'. It's very good but 'remarkable' it aint! It's ripe and fruity, with plenty of plum on the nose. While it smells very good and the initial taste is very good, the finish is not quite there. It's soft and lacks any real kick. The tannins are barely discernable. To me, this is a drink now proposition and an overpriced one at that. I'll leave the other for a year and so and see what happens. Score 84/100. Buy again, no.

2008 Jacobs Creek Reserve Adelaide Hils Chardonnay

I have been reading all the hype over this wine, so I had to see for myself. I felt like wearing a disguise to buy this wine but opted not to, I can wear the snickers by the 18 year old checkout clerk, what would she know anyway :) So I ponied up the 11 bucks at Firstchoice, Maroochydore and ran. Well, here goes. Great nose, obvious toasty oak and peach, good start. First taste is surprising, beautiful restrained oak and buttery characteristics, rich fruit and so well balanced, this is really elegant, and has a finish that lasts forever! The bogan is not going to let me forget this, but I don't care, this is seriously good. I give this 89/100 and will bye bucket loads of this coming into summer.

2008 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir

As a consepuence of my beloved Victorian Pinots being in general disappointing, I have turned my attention to our kiwi bros, Martinborough in particular.
Spice dominates the nose, followed by lifted ripe red fruit, which the Bogan refers to it as alcohol burn and not enough fruit.
The palate has alot of tannin, which buries the fruit somewhat, but the wine is still enjoyable. Massive length, and one to lay down for a few years.
Definitley buy again. 85 points.

1999 Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling

Purchased from First Choice, a 12 year old Riesling. Who knows where they would have sourced this. The label boasts as being one of the original stelvin caps. Upon opening, the frog sympathiser commented how fresh it seemed so the closure must have done its job.

Lovely golden colour. Subdued nose, some honey, a small amount of kero coming through. The palate seemed flat to me, in decline perhaps. For a 12 yo wine though, it has still held up quite well but for 30AUD, I wouldn't venture here again. I didn't get enough of those aged charcteristics I was hoping for. Perhaps it was not an exuberant wine to start with. My score 80 (good).

2005 Jim Barry McRae Wood

Purchased at cellar door back in July 2010 for $50.

This is ready to go now and should continue for some time. A fruit bomb, big and beautiful. Black fruit, eucalypt, licorice and plenty of spicy goodness on the nose. Full bodied palate, a long finish that is beautifully balanced. Great stuff.

Just finishing off the glass, shit this smells good!

A score. 91/100, outstanding.

2009 Mt Horrocks Watervale Riesling

First drunk in December 2010, tasting notes were 'Quite restrained. Almost clear in the glass. Nose of lime, a medium length and dry finish. A mineral spine to this wine. While I enjoy my riesling young, this is one worth holding'.

This has really come along. Colour is now a light yellow. It has lost a little zest on the nose, the palate has mellowed and now shows some honey, almost a creamy texture. Minerals are there and provide great sructure. The finish is beautifully balanced. Superb drinking, this could be something spcial in years to come.

My score, 90/100 and getting better.

First Blind Tasting

The frog sympathiser bought over to the bogan's place a couple of wines for a blind tasting, his intent of course was to trip me up. Big Darren from the Purple Palate at Maroochydore ponied up some free grog for us to smash (oops sorry, critique). Smash (sorry critique) it, we did. The grog in question was a Barossa GSM v an interesting blend of Heathcote Shiraz and Eden Valley grenache (who would have thought!). My palate had been lubricating over a premium quality 2006 Barossa Shiraz (OK, a Jacobs Creek) so i was well primed for the task ahead.

The two were served side by side and blind. I got as far as saying a recent vintage warm climate versus a cooler climate and slightly older wine. Not very clever at all, but at least on the money.

The undisputed winner was the 2007 Jack Raj Heathcote/Eden Valley Shiraz Grenache. This was difficult for us because the winemaker is know to said bloggers and is generally disliked. Don't you hate that! The very long second was a hot off the press, world exclusive, never been blogged before and very ordinary 2010 Yalumba The Strapper GSM.

Jack Raj has quite a unique nose, I thought it might have been a frog. It is quite complex and a little bit funky, but very nice. The palate is medium-bodied and balanced. A well made wine. The Yalumba on the other hand is young, meaty, harsh and overripe nonesense. Nothing to challenge the palate at all.

This brings me back to the Jacobs Creek. The bogan has a soft spot for them for what they have done for Australian wine in overseas markets. You and I might laugh, but the Poms loved it and as a result, a lot of Australians were employed. As for this wine, who'd have thought? Not big or complex by any measure but perfectly acceptable drinking. Secondary chocolate showing on both nose and palate. Still a little tannin, the finish is well balanced. Surprised on the upside.

Now for numbers. The Jack Raj,88, buy again, first thing tomorrow morning. The Strapper, < 80, offensive for the money. Jacoabs Creek, 85, would buy again if I could.

2008 Bannockburn Pinot Noir

Pure, light brick red with a light translucent-clear edge. Deep sweet sechuan pepper (light spice) and pancetta aromas with underlying sweet red fruits. Very complex. Slight gun smoke. Again acid backs up the palate with fruit, spice and faint tannin backing up the flavors. Needs more time but it's doubtful the fruit will overcome the acid structure. Needs pork crackling or Peking duck.

2008 Bannockburn Chardonnay

Straw gold with very slightly green tinge, beautiful but just over-ripe aromas of deep peach, almond and honeyed wheat. Perfect acid structure that lays the road for pure excellence of fruit and secondary ferment flavors. Overwhelms the palate with ripe fruit, balanced crisp acid and delicious malo. Roast me a chook pronto!!!! Thanks to big Dick for a guest critique.

1998 Taylors St. Andrews Shiraz

Rated No. 1 in the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge in 2001. More bling on the bottle than Lady GaGa.

Let's cut straight to the chase - this is f$&@$&g good. Last night we drank the '04 version of this wine (see previous post) and were super impressed. So much so, we thought let's get the '98 version a run (that was reputably from an equivalent and excellent vintage) and compare.

Wow!! These guys know what they are doing. While we haven't tried everything, for 55 bucks (purchased 3 weeks ago) I'm not sure what else you can expect. The colour is still dark. On the nose the plum and black fruit is still there and mint and chocolate are developing. I'd be happy to sit here and smell it all night, just magnificent. While the palate is approachable now, the tannins remain. Not over the top, but with lovely mouthfeel. a persistent and beautifully balanced finish.

A number. My only criticism from the '04 was that perhaps the palate lacked some tannin, which I like. This wine is better in every aspect, it has colour, a powerful and expressive nose, a magnificent finish and some tannin. The nose for me is the standout, top class.

94/100 is where we have settled. Not sure why other than it is better than The '04. If 95 is "extraordinary and exceptional", this is getting up there. If you can still get this for $55, ridiculously good value.

2004 Taylors St. Andrews Shiraz

Purchased at Dans for $55. James Haliday describes this as "a distinguished wine from a distinguished vintage". We all agree he is on the money. A lovely black fruit and plum nose that is beginning to develop some earthy and tobacco secondary characters. It is still powerful. The palate is complex and is full of fruit, licorice, chocolate, you name it, it's going on. The tannin is gone, the finish is as smooth as a baby's backside. This is a cracking good drink. The '04 St. Andrews Cabernet I gave a 92/100, this is every inch as good and maybe a bit better. Shows just how good the '04 Clare vintage was.

I'm thinking about the score and trying to pick a fault. This isn't easy with such a complete wine. If I was to be pretentious, I'd say this would be better with some tannin, a little bite and grip on the palate perhaps. No-one agrees with me however, this is normal. OK, 93/100. Buy again? At $55, a wine of this quality is sharply priced. At it's peak, drink up!!!

PS. The consensus is that after more time in the glass, the better this wine gets. 93+/100. That is an official FNVTBB record.

2008 Stella Bella Chardonnay

Purchased from Purple Palate Maroochydore for $22. Pale green straw colour, it has developed some colour since last time we tried this. Beautiful restrained oak nose with a hint of cashew and stone fruit, very Burgundian. We discovered this wine at a wine dinner on the Sunshine Coast last year, and wow, what a collection of wine he makes, the Chardonnay was the standout for mine. We managed to have a great chat with the winemaker and got onto the topic of our common love for Burgundy and in particular the wine maker Etienne Sauzet, who is his main influence in making this wine. Undiscovered, understated and underpriced, this wine is an excellent example of it's variety, regardless of it's origin. 90/100 and buy as much as you can while at this price, it won't be this value for long.

2010 Clos Clare Watervale Riesling

I must first disclose my conflict of interest.  I'm a born and bred Clare Valley lad and my favorite drink is Riesling, so I have been accused of talking up a wine like this in the past.  Just trying to keep a few old school mates employed.

This particular wine comes from the very distinguished Florita vineyard. This loamy clay over limestone has won numerous trophies and hundreds of medals since the '60's under the then Leo Buring label and (since the mid-80's I think) the Jim Barry label.

On this occasion there is no need for me to embellish the truth.  This is fantastic.  Almost clear in the glass, a very pale green colour.  Lovely citrus and floral aromas. The palate is perfectly balanced.  A long, mouth puckering finish (OK, guilty, I'm talking it up).  The structure of this wine together with the track record of the vineyard tells me that this will just get better with time, maybe a very long time.

Now, for those of you that think Riesling is sweet nonsense in a brown paper bag, think again. For me, the best examples are bone dry, like this one.  Riesling is great with food.  Riesling is great without food.  Riesling has great aging potential where it can develop from being almost clear, with  zesty citrus and floral characters to a much darker and far more complex wine, often with toast and honey characteristics.

And the kicker is that even the very best examples are cheap because they are relatively cheap to make.  No oak, no cellaring. Grosset Polish Hill is probably Australia's most distinguished Riesling (Langton's Exceptional classification) and it's readily available for 35 bucks!

So get into it, and keep some Clare Valley locals employed.

Oh, sorry, back to the wine.  My score 91/100.   Buy again? For $20 bucks, amazing value. At the time of writing, East End Cellars in Adelaide still have some.

2006 Two Hands Lily's Garden McClaren Vale Shiraz

It's a big Aussie fruit bomb! Approachable and enjoyable, but still some time away from it's peak. Dark red inky colour. Big red fruit dominate, some licorice, not a great deal of tannin. Too much alcohol?? This wine needs some time to critique properly. Can't wait to try again in 3-4 years. Our score.....ask us in 4yrs time.

2002 d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache

Purchased as a mature re-release from the cellar door for $25. Powerful nose, with some alcohol heat. Lovely earthy aromas with cinnamon and clove, top class. Good length palate with plenty of tannin that cut through our spicy chicken. Luscious raspberry/blackberry fruit, maybe lacking a little on the back palate, but as it opens up, seems far more balanced. Drinking beautifully. Our score 89/100. Buy again, a bargain, if only you could.

2006 Cirillo Old Vine Grenache

Purchased for $40 from Purple Palate on their recommendation. Very refined wine that is beautifully made. A restrained nose that was unmistakably Grenache. Beginning to develop a secondary chocolate character. The palate had lovely balance. Alcohol in check, a little tannin. Our score 91/100. Buy again? At $50 rrp, not sure. See if you can get a discount and then enjoy.

2007 Richard Hamilton Gumpr's Shiraz

Purchased by accident. When buying half a dozen of the '08, this '07 somehow got mixed up with it. The professional reviews are ordinary, I think it is pretty good, in fact this was terrific until right at the end. Lovely nose of plum and developing earth and chocolate. The full bodied palate is spicy with black fruit and plum, but loses some balance and/or structure on the back palate. Tannins are drying and the finish quite long. Overall, for the price paid, OK value. My score 83/100. Buy again, no.