2008 La Reto Quatro Mano Tempranillo

2008 La Reto Quatro Mano Tempranillo

$26

Barossa Valley

Blind Tasting

Red/purple colour.  Delicous fruity nose with a hint of liquorice.... and some unfortunate "stomach juices" also coming through.

Plums, spicy cloves.  Not much else to say.

65 points

2006 Kay Brothers Hillside Shiraz

2006 Kay Brothers Hillside Shiraz

$40

McLaren Vales

Blind tasting

This has a rediculously amazing nose, plums, violets, chocolate, cigar box and roasted cashews... I could smell this all day.

Plenty of enticing fruit flavours, juicy plums, blue berries and chocolate.  Rich mcRich yet smooth and stylish with a smokey finish which carries it through to a lingering yet focused finish.

I love this, definately worth the $40 for an amazing experience.

93 points

2004 Mantons Creek Tempranillo

2004 Mantons Creek Tempranillo

$40

Blind tasting

Rachel and I went down to Mornington Peninsula in Victoria in 2009 and stumbled across Mantons Creek as a B&B and not a winery. The vineyard had just changed hands and the new owner Frederick was spending his days clearing some over grown parcels and replanting different grapes where they should have been planted originally. There was no cellar door and the B&B was an absolute bargain considering we were the only ones in the vine front Chateau.

At that stage, guests were offered a free bottle from the Mantons Creek range but without a cellar door we had no idea what to choose. At lunch we were asked where we were staying, the response was convincing, "you have to try the tempranillo, there was a byo showcase for wine makers and Frederick brought one from 2003. It blew everyone away!"

Turns out Mantons Creek is the only vineyard to grow tempranillo.

As for the wine itself, it is a very dark ruby with a very strong almost pungent nose which I'm very excited about.  It's a little stinky (in a good way) with black currant syrup, raisins and milk chocolate with a fantastic earthy undertone which gives it great depth and structure.

The recipe reads as a cup of stewed raspberries, tsp of ground cloves, a pinch of black pepper and a sprinkling of greated dark chocolate.  All in all a very rich yet smooth result.

Highly recommended...

88 points

2004 Maques de Caseres Roija

2004 Maques de Caseres Roija

$35

Very dark, almost inky red colour.

Raisins, dark chocolate and violets on the nose. Surprisingly thin mouth feel.

More dark chocolate and leather on the tongue.

Dry savory finish with a waft of alcohol heat.

76 points

2007 Chalk Hill Shiraz

2007 Chalk Hill Shiraz


McLaren Vale

The first thing that comes to mind when I smell it, besides the delicious black cherries plum jam, is the bottle labelled 14.5% alcohol. Often reds can benefit from a good airing as it gives them a chance to relax and take a breath. Kinda like in the original Star Trek when they beamed down to a new planet and no matter what it looks like, it always seams to have oxygen. Eventually they take their helmets off and get on with the story.

Original tasting was 4:30pm Friday arvo, and therefore I opened it at about 2:30pm. Just the screw cap though which doesn't allow much air but is still better than nothing. Anyway, all who were gathered around for a tasting agreed the wine smelt hot and some had first hand alcohol related symptoms. Once past the alcohol, all agreed this was a great drop.

The Chalk Hill surprises me actually, I've come to expect a varietal jammy or tartness but this is far more elegant and balanced. Perhaps a couple of years in the bottle should be mandatory for McLaren Vale Shiraz. There is a little savoury sharpness on the nose too, I don't want to say stem so more like green leaves.

Rich plum flavors, sweet red and black cherries, delicious black currant finish.

Nice example of this varietal. Far more fruit driven area of Australia.

71 points

2008 Ben Portet Ten Men Shiraz

2008 Ben Portet Ten Men Shiraz

$35

Cellar door at Dominique Portet wines in the Yarra Valley.

I have an affinity with this wine because my wife and I love to visit the winery it was made, mostly for lunch and to look through the jams and French farm house merchandise.

This wine is made by Ben Portet, who is as the bottle label suggests, is the 10th generation of wine maker in the family starting with Jean in 1698.

It has a deep crimson colour with a sensible stewed raspberry nose. I can smell fruit mince pie balanced nicely by a dollop of cream on the side.

Forget the plums and black pepper of the Barossa, this is far more balanced and elegant. More flavours of raspberries and cream, then comes the dark chocolate and cedar box. Respectful tannin structure makes it a good match to a light stew or casserole. All in all, medium bodied shiraz with a little white pepper finish.

79 points

2006 Monmousseau Cuvee Touraine Blanc de Blancs

2006 Monmousseau Cuvee Touraine Blanc de Blancs

$25

Appellation Touraine

Blanc de Blanc means chardonnay grapes only which makes it quite different to tradittional sparkling. This style is quite rich and buttery and surprisingly low on fizz. There was some pressure on the cork but it didn't want to shoot out. Peach and citrus sherbet nose. Lemon, lime and a little orange marmalade. Creamy peach wiese bar in a glass. Good acidity and could cellar for another 5 to 10 but not much longer.

I have to emphasize how rich this is, probably best with a vinigerette salad.

72 points

2008 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Grenache

2008 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Grenache

$10

Barossa

Straight up, this is a text book BBQ red. Ross brought it over to a BBQ at my place but it didn't get opened... Until now. Thanks Ross.

What makes a good BBQ red? Smooth, approachable, savoury yet a little fruit up front. A wine you don't have to think too hard about, but interesting enough to wash down a steak, some snags, potato bake and some token salad. What sets this aside from the others is the Grenache. It sits hard in the mid palate all the way to the end bringing a fruit mince pie with a olive focaccia finish.

Value for money factor put this one in the 70s but to be consistent with previous scores I give it...

65 points