Category: Australia

Seppelt (Grampians) – A recent favourite of mine, which surprises me since I do like to barrack for the small boutique makers. The quality of the wine and the winemaking at Seppelt over the last year or two is undeniable though. “St Peters” Shiraz 2004 – Violets, plums and some meatiness along with some well […]

Scotchmans Hill (Geelong) – “Geelong” Chardonnay 2004 – The nose shows peaches, grapefruit and some restrained toasty oak. Very nice mouth feel, it is focused but also has an appealing texture to it. Good fruit intensity. Will be best over the next 3 or 4 years. 89/100 “Geelong” Shiraz 2004 – An intense nose of […]

Scorpo (Mornington Peninsula) – Rosé 2005 – Light in colour but body has a touch more weight to it. Pinot Noir influence is evident on the nose with cherries and some nice violet floral characters. Easy to drink, but there is a bit more weight to it to be passed off as nothing more than […]

Savaterre (Beechworth) – One of my clear favourites of this event and I’ve put my money where my mouth is by ordering a mixed lot of these three wines from the mailing list. Not to mention that the winemaker Keppell Smith seems like a really nice guy. It makes it a lot easier to support […]

Sanguine Estate (Heathcote) – Chardonnay Viognier 2005 – Not faulty, but just bland and completely unexciting. Some hints of melon and a touch of florality on the nose, but nothing else of interest. 82/100

Sally’s Paddock / Redbank (Pyrenees) – I haven’t tried the Redbank wines previously, but leading with the flagship Sally’s Paddock and offering some good value for money wines in the “Sally’s Hill” range ($20AUD), I am keen to get an opportunity to taste these again. “Sally’s Paddock” Red Blend 2004 – Earth, blueberry, vanilla, chocolate […]

Rutherglen Estates (Rutherglen) – ‘The Alliance” Marsanne Viognier 2005 – A blend comprised of 70% Marsanne and 30% Viognier. The nose is comprised of fresh fruit including peaches, apricot and apple. The varieties are well balanced with neither dominating the wine. This is a refreshing and easy to drink wine. 87/100 Rosé 2005 – 60% […]

Punt Road (Yarra Valley) – “MVN” Chardonnay 2004 – Subdued oak that is dominated by the quality of the fruit. A little bit of flint and some funky spice. Has an elegant palate with focused power. Will benefit greatly from 2-3 additional years in bottle where it will take on some more complexity and open […]

Pizzini Wines (King Valley) – A small family producer with a focus on Italian varieties that are infrequently seen in Australian wines. They have been growing grapes since the late 1970’s and started making wine under the Pizzini label in the mid 90’s. I didn’t get a chance to try the red wines from the […]

Paringa Estate (Mornington Peninsula) – The Paringa ’04 “Estate” Pinot Noir was my favourite wine at the Pinot Master-class, so I was looking forward to trying the rest of the wines. I was disappointed to miss trying the “Reserve” wines, but all the same, there are some good wines coming out from this maker at […]