Innocent Bystander (Yarra Valley) – An offshoot of the Giant Steps winery, with wines aimed at a lower price point and being easier to drink in their youth. Chardonnay 2005 – Fresh, fruity and made for immediate consumption. No major problems except for a lack of anything interesting. 85/100
Category: Yarra Valley
Graeme Miller Wines (Yarra Valley) – The owners of this winery were very friendly and I hope that the wines I tried were off-bottles rather than being representative. As always though, I can only review what is in the glass. Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – Easy drinking with some tropical fruit on the nose and a […]
Giant Steps (Yarra Valley) – Owned by Phil, Allison and Harry Sexton. Phil was the founder of the successful Devil’s Lair in the Margaret River and founded this winery a few years after selling Devil’s Lair to Southcorp in 1996. “Harry’s Monster” Cabernet Blend 2004 – 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and […]
Coldstream Hills (Yarra Valley) – One of the few large company owned wineries present at the show. Clearly has access to some excellent vineyards. The Reserve wines aren’t cheap and can be somewhat variable in quality from vintage to vintage, although the Reserve wines on show today were all very good. “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 […]
Eight Pinot Noirs tasted as part of the recent Victorian Winemakers Exhibition tutorials in order of preference. Paringa Estate “Estate” Pinot Noir 2004 – (Mornington Peninsula): Quite an unyielding nose – cherry and some well blended oak. Nice textured mouthfeel – length is great. Just needs some time to develop some complexity and open up. […]