2010 domaine lucci sangiovese

2010 domaine lucci sangiovese

$25

Great style example. Light rasberries and spice nose.

medium light style, toasty yet balanced. Great pizza wine. nice savoury finish..

72 points

2009 mother's milk shiraz

2009 mother's milk shiraz

$25

Nice label!

Very dark and quite thick. smooth food wine.

Blah Blah Blah....

76 points

2008 Ring Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Ring Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon

Margaret River

$30

Blind tasting

This smells like Grandma's house.... ashed cigarettes and ribina...

Strawberry lollies, a touch grassy and herbaceous.

Very smooth but hollow finish.  This wine got very high scores from other winos which makes me think it could have been a dud bottle.

Based on the bottle we had, I really didn't get it.

60 points.

2006 Ebenezer Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Ebenezer Cabernet Sauvignon

Barossa

$32

Blind Tasting.

This one smells delicious!

Nice red colour, dark chocolate and dried spices on the nose.

Very smooth but very complex palate... It needs to sit for at least an hr and maybe decant.

Spicy licorice finish.

89 points.

2008 Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvigon

Mclarenvale

$29

Blind Tasting

Black currant and licorice nose.

Starts quite sweet but dies in the middle.  To quote my wife she "JAMMY, yummy yum yum yum!"

Medium mellow finish

61 points

2008 De Bortoli Vat 9 Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 De Bortoli Vat 9 Cabernet Sauvignon

Griffith NSW

$10

Blind Tasting

Thick and dark.

Rasberry, menthol and cassis.

Medium body.

Medium/soft finish.

I like this one and would buy it again considering the price!

67 points.

2005 Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Wynns Cabernet Sauvignon

Coonawarra

$30

Blind Tasting.

Very dark and think.

Jammy nose with hints of "throaties" or candy rasberries.  Slightly herbaceous. When you combine all that it actually tastes like LIPSTICK, not that I wear lipstick or even eat it, but my wife wears it sometimes OK!?!

Big mouth feel and very smooth tannis.

Dry finish.

81 points.

2004 Gosset Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon

2004 Gosset Gaia Cabernet Sauvigon 75% Cabernet Franc 20%

Clare Valley.

$60

Blind tasting

Taking recommendations from wine guys at Dan Murphy's is hit and miss.  This one was a massive hit.

Very Complex nose!

• musty and dusty
• rainforest
• a bit of horse stable

Focussed secondary flavours... Black currant, cut grass, herbs and green capsicum.

LONG SMOOTH FINISH, chocolate and leather.

92 points.

2005 Seppelt Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Seppelt Cabernet Sauvignon

Grampians, Victoria

$21

Blind Tasting.

Dusty and spicy nose.

Nice spiced fruit with vanilla cream!

Good balanced tannins and a peppery finish.

Could easily sit for another 5 years and is maybe not quite ready yet.

71 points.

2009 Slippery Fish Chardonnay

2009 slippery fish chardonnay.

$2.50 from First Choice. Courtesy of Andy, see other Slippery Fish Cabernet Merlot review.

Now, I don't want to set the tone for this bottle too soon in the review, but the best thing about it is the colour. It actually looks like wine, but then so does pee.
The label says chardonnay but there is no distinguishable chardonnay qualities.
This wine creeps me out. Big oily mouth feel yet no actual wine flavour. Ironically, the most dominant character is the alcohol.. Which is quite low at 12.5%.
The finish can only be described as evil, I can actually feel this burning my throat.
I had to pause this blog to clear the phlegm from my throat... there might be some pineapple and dried oregano... Not a great combo.

28 points

Andy's Post: Slippery Fish, Cabernet Merlot South Australia, Vintage 2012

Slippery Fish, Cab Merlot South Australia, Vintage 2012

$15 for 6 ($2.50 per bottle)

Low expectations are a must, and can lead to pleasant surprise.  With initial tastes of sulphuric acid / Ribena blends, it actually settled down surprising well after 1/2 hour or so.  The harsh acid tones are reduced to a more calmer taste, I would feel comfortable spilling a bottle in my car without fearing for its structure degrading rapidly, like some other acids.  I recommend agitating slightly, in fact shaking the bottle like your holding a joy-stick whilst playing Daley Thompsons decathlon.  This will help it slip down like, er well, like a slippery wet fish !  It initially deceives you with a slight velvety texture until you get closer to the bottom of the bottle, by which time you may find your gums peeled back over your forehead.  Other benefits include red lips and a numb left cheek.  Once actually reaching the bottom of the bottle, you are guarenteed to find yourself in a pose suited to a planking photo.  That said, in summary, it is not as offensive as I first estimated.  I would liken it to waking up in bed the next day, after a night in the Whickam, to find somone else under your sheets, only to find its actually a lesbian … would I buy it again ?  …. Hell yes !

2009 tyrrell's brokenback shiraz

2009 tyrrell's brokenback shiraz.

$18

Hunter valley.

Homage to Everybody loves Ray.

I'm not going to review this one now but its Ok. This blog is about the label... I understand how some premium wines are made from the best fruit, but when a label says stuff like "sourced from numerous..." and "fermented in a mixture of..." and "ranging from three to ten years old" it makes me think that this is a thrown together bunch of left overs. If its good, then who cares how its made but honestly this has lost a lot of its individuality but does retain some hunter valley characters.

I don't love it but its Ok..

62 points

2002 Blue Pyrenees Reserve Red

2002 Blue Pyrenees Reserve Red

Gift from Craig and Tanya for my birthday 2008.

Cab sauv 62% shiraz 33% merlot and cab franc 5%.
Great nose, dark chocolate and leather. black currant and licourish too. AND hints of marzipan!

Thick and inky with a light red rim.

After 9 years it still tastes quite green and herby. Blue berries and black cherries. Definite ribina action. Tobacco and dark chocolate too.

Very dry finish and needs to be open and rest.
This is an interesting one. It could sit for a few more years but was great to try now. It got a hiding from the big guys but I give it...

74 points.

2008 pepper tree venus block chardonnay

2008 pepper tree venus block chardonnay.

$25

pepper tree was overall the best cellar door I visited in the hunter valley. Not because of the manicured gardens or the awesome building but actually the wines were consistently good from top to bottom. Quality.

straight off the bat, this is my kind of chardy. nice blend of stone fruit and oak on the nose. Ripe yellow pear too.
medium bodied.
good complexity and balanced oak make it very enticing and a super match to pork belly. not too dry and a slightly oily finish.

It could sit for a couple of years but I wouldn't bother. I like it...

78 points

2009 Tuesner Joshua

2009 Tuesner Joshua -blind tasting

Grenache, mataro and Shiraz.

$26

Big strawberries and cream on the nose. This smells delicious.

Soft spicy/pepper on the palate, nice balanced tannins.

Medium length finish. I like it.

Very approachable wine, and some drinkers will absolutely love it. Fruit driven with nice balance and depth/complexity.

75 points

2007 voyager estate Shiraz

2007 voyager estate Shiraz - blind tasting.
Margaret river
$35

Raspberries and violets, hint of vanilla but overall a mellow nose.

Rather subtle on the palate, earthy and enticing.

Short finish, but I think  it would benefit from being open and allowed to rest.

71 points

2007 chapel hill Shiraz

2007 chapel hill Shiraz - Blind tasting.

Very soft blackcurrant nose.

Big Spicy plums ;)

Extra dry medium length finish.

55 points

2005 Ballabourneen Buckets Semillon

2005 Ballabourneen Buckets Semillon
$20
Hunter Valley

This is incredible value for a start. I suspect they are trying to clear the warehouse.
The story on the label goes that dan made this wine as a tribute to the girl who works on the vinyard. He described his favourite time of day as she jiggled past on the tractor. His wife who was working the cellar door gave him an elbow as told the story.
As with all aged semillons, this one has a rich straw colour and a thick toasty, tasty nose. ripe pear and limes. This smells yummy.
This wine delivers on the palate. Delicious ripe pear flavours and with a long brioche finish. Nice acid balance, this wine is very good drinking now and for 1-2 more years.
Great education in aged semillon.
83 points.

2006 Sansilvestro Patres Barolo

2006 Sansilvestro patres barolo
$60
I sat down to try this one at Tiamo II on Lygon St (Melbourne) which is a great authentic resaurant.  Staff don't speak much english but the food is great!  So I asked for a glass for the barolo and the waiter went off to get a "tumbler"... I think they thought I was Italian... As he walked away I noticed he was showing the bottle to other waiters, they must have recognised it or something.
Needless to say I didn't finish the bottle and hoped to take about $20 worth of wine away with me... I didn't count on the prompt clearup staff.  When the waiter tracked it down he laughed and said "they never clear when we need them to..."

This is my first barolo.
This is a big one! Rich crimson, translucent.
Musty and earthy, ripe cherries with medium spice notes.
Huge flavour, very big dry mouth feel. Sour cherries and cranberries which turn into pezz or lolly bracelets mid palate. Hints of annaseed.
Beautiful long savoury finish.
This wine is delicious but probably too big and dry for most people. Red lovers could have it straight up but most will prefer it will a good pasta. Quality all the way through.
90 points.

2009 hungerford hill chardonnay

2009 hungerford hill chardonnay

Light straw colour

Notes of Frozen peas and lemon.

Light mouth feel

Good acid. Lightly oaked, according to the label.

Peaches and Lime citrus characters.

Balanced but on the zesty side. Not my kind of chardy.

65 points

2008 brand's laira shiraz

2008 brand's laira shiraz.

Coonawarra.

Jammy nose, pepper and spice. Like fruit mince pie.
Rich and inky.
Balanced tannins.
Cassis and stewed raspberries.
Long dry finish

78 points