Appellation Australia

Category: Grampians

Cullen Diana Madeline and Moss Wood Cabernet Vertical

What a great night and opportunity this was to taste wines from the two leading big name Cabernet producers in Margaret River from some generally good to great vintages. These wines were all from the same cellar and only the Mount Langi ring-in was tasted blind. Lanson Black Label NV The nose is fresh and […]

More hijinks in Canberra

Some quick notes from an excellent evening hosted by David Lole in Canberra. All wines were tasted and scored blind except for the Curlewis, the St. Henri and the Petaluma Essence. Rockford Sparkling Black (Sept. 2005 disgorgement) – (Barossa Valley, South Australia): Bright, clean raspberry, cherry, pepper, vanilla and blackberry aromas as well as a […]

Dinner with Mixed Wines

An excellent dinner hosted by friends Gavin and Gen. I’ve included the menu items interspersed throughout the notes. I won’t post too detailed impressions on the food, but in general they were good matches, especially the Salmon with the Champagne and the smoked Duck with the Pinot/Burgundy. Smoked Salmon, mayonnaise and avocado Franck Bonville Grand […]

Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers 2006 – Seppelt

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 […]

Exhibition of Victorian Winemakers 2006 – Mount Langi Ghiran

Mount Langi Ghiran (Grampians) – One of my favourite Victorian wineries from one of my favourite areas in Victoria for wine. Mount Langi had a bit of a disastrous year last year with their flagship 2002 Langi Shiraz being voluntarily withdrawn from market after a number of critics noticed that it was developing a bacterial […]

Sydney Wine Dinner @ Oliveto

Some notes taken at a dinner attended by some fellow wine lovers – Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1990 – (Grampians, Victoria): A nice way to start the proceedings. Blackberry, cherry, spice, violets and earthy characters on the nose. Nice rich mouth-feel, with a bit of sweetness on the palate. Good, long finish. 88/100 Dry River […]

Southcorp Roadshow – Leo Buring, Devil’s Lair, Seppelt

Last month Australia’s largest wine company Southcorp (now part of Fosters and even bigger) put on its annual road-show to showcase its wines across major capital cities. In Sydney, this was held at the completely refurbished Hilton hotel that was reopened in July. As often happens at these public events it didn’t take long to […]

Sydney Wine Dinner – “La Goulue”

Some wines brought along and tasted blind at a dinner with some fellow wine aficionados ; Leo Buring Leonay Watervale Riesling 1992 – (Clare Valley, South Australia): Yellow gold in colour. All honey and toast with a touch of lanolin. Good length and was holding together structurally. A couple of comments around the table were […]

Sydney Dinner – “Relish at Balmain Bug”

Once again a merry band of men and women from the Winestar Forum met up in order to enjoy some food and wine. The Restaurant: I quite liked the restaurant; my entree of Balmain Bug Raviolo was excellent and was perfect for the white wines. Wasn’t quite as impressed with the main of Char-grilled Sirloin […]

Sydney Dinner – Castel Mola

Another wine dinner with the good people from the Winestar Forum. This time we convened at the Castel Mola Italian Restaurant at Leichhardt. The Wines: Once again, most wines were served masked. Egly-Ouriet Tradition NV – Disgorged Sept 2004 (Champagne, France): A fantastic way to start the evening. Fine and focused with great length. Visibly […]

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