Appellation Australia

N.V. Bruno Michel Champagne “Cuvée Rebelle” Extra Brut
A little bit of toast, cashew and chocolate on the nose. Refreshing mouth-feel with decent length, but not very complex or deep.
86/100

2000 Leonildo Pieropan Soave Classico Superiore La Rocca
Light golden in colour. Lemon zest, almonds, butter, a touch of cheese and sulfur. Interesting texture, with a warming, slightly spirity finish.
86/100

2003 Weingut Knoll Riesling Ried Loibenberg Smaragd
Light floral nose with mandarin and not too much else. The palate is pretty boring and flabby, seriously lacking acid.
80/100

1999 Tyrrell’s Sémillon Reserve HVD
Apples, lemon, lime and starting to develop some toast and nutty characters. Lovely balance on the palate with good acid and depth of fruit. Very good length and will probably be very enjoyable in 5+ years time.
90/100

1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet En Remilly 1er Cru
Golden coloured. Smoky oak, ketchup (?!), hay, apples and matchstick to the nose. Palate lacks interest, tasting smoky and with just enough acid to be cleansing.
84/100

Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1994 and the R. Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 1993
Both so spoiled by brett as to be undrinkable.

2003 Farr Rising Mornington Pinot Noir
Cherry, earth, blood, a little pepper and rosewood. Nice mouthfeel and length, but a little bit straightforward to be better than very good.
88/100

1999 Maurice Écard Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Pimentiers 1er Cru
Charred meat and violets at the forefront of the nose with some volatile rubbery characters as well. Palate has nice texture to it, but tannins stand out too much at the moment.
83/100

1999 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Grenache
White pepper with meat and game and a touch of florailty. Well balanced palate without a whole lot to offer depth wise. Enjoyable, but not outstanding.
87/100

2002 Craiglee Shiraz
Black pepper, mulberry, raspberry, violet and grassy/herby aromas. Tannins are prominent and the palate lacks structure and intensity of fruit.
84/100

1994 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve
A great, youthful colour. Dusty, cassis, cedar notes, with violets and crushed rocks. The palate is very youthful and primary, with the intense fruit still holding centre stage. Lovely and good bottles should be even better in 10 years time.
91/100

1997 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese
Yellow-gold coloured. Honeyed, minerals, honeydew melon, rock melon and apricot. The balance of the palate is special with honeyed sweetness and a core of acid cleaning it up. Not especially complex, but it was delicious to drink and a real pleasure.
91/100

1964 Saltram VP
An alluring nose of leather, raisin, chocolate, dense caramel and just a touch of volatility. Palate doesn’t live up to the rather nice nose with a soft mouthfeel without complexity and seeming a bit weak.
86/100