Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

After our lovely riesling, we opened and decanted this Coonawarra Cab Sav. On the nose were aromas of blackcurrant, cabernet leaf, violets, cedar and a little spice. The palate was mid-weighted and superbly balanced, with pureed fruits over some incredibly soft and furry tannins, giving it a wonderfully soft and lingering finish. For me the tannins in this wine really seduced me, making it a delight to drink. A beautifully crafted wine.
50+4+13+18+8 = 93/100

Taylors St Andrews Aged Clare Valley Riesling 2002

Recently I am becoming a bit of a fan of aged Australian rieslings, so grabbed another. Opened to an expressive bouquet of lime marmalade, apricot, petroleum, honey, musk and some toasty characters. On the palate it was quite powerful, yet elegant and restrained with fruits over a lovely almost powdery minerality. Good length and finish made for really quite a beautiful wine. Well worth $40 and cellaring further.
50+4+13+18+8 = 93/100

Domaine Christian Salmon Clos des Criots Pouilly Fume 2005

For our aperitif, we opened this Pouilly-Fume from Christian Salmon,who also produces Sancerres. The bouquet seemed quite locked, but did slowly open to reveal very soft fruit, with flint and mineral dominating. On the palate again fruit was quite suppressed, with mostly dry minerals, some citrus and soft smoky characters. Finished very elegantly and dry. Overall quite a lovely and austere low-fruit/high mineral expression of sauvignon, which I tend to prefer.
50+4+12+18+8 = 92/100

Tamaiosa Romaneasca - Domenile Tohani 2006

Now that it is well and truly spring and the weather is warmer we picked up a bottle of this wine, we have had it before and really enjoyed it. Pale golden in colour with honeysuckle bouquet and rich floral flavours. A sweet wine this would almost be classed as a dessert wine however it pairs wonderfully with leek and potato soup for some reason.

Jacob's Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay 2003

Not sure if I have tried this wine before, but we decided to give it a try. Opened to aromas of melon, lemon, vanilla, honey and some spices. On the palate it was relatively focused, perhaps rounding out a little but didn't quite become flabby. Some nice fruit and mineral characters led to a crisp but soft dry finish. Overall quite a well made chardonnay, but I felt lacking in character, and perhaps also structure.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Howling Wolves White Shiraz 2007

A new vintage of this wine, which I tried last September. Again lovely blushed pink in colour, the bouquet held apple, guava, fairyfloss and some nice sour notes. On the palate it was quite juicy, with tingling acidity and juicy crisp finish. Again I enjoyed this rose quite a bit, and probably one of the more unusual wines around. Very well made though.
50+5+13+16+7 = 91/100

Kooyong Estate Pinot Noir 2006

For dinner some pinot noir, Australian this time for a bit of a change. Opened to quite an upfront aroma of red cherries, sour cherry, spice and some raspberry. On the palate again fruits were dominant, with some sap and earth notes struggling underneath. Well balanced and sound in structure, I found the fruit a little dominant in this wine, and would have liked a bit more expression from some secondary flavours. Still a well made pinot.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Chateau Tour de Mirambeau Bordeaux Blanc 2006

A new vintage of this white Bordeaux from Entre-Deux-Mers. Again quite a generous bouquet of tropical fruit, mint, citrus and minerals. On the palate it was well balanced, with some nice minerality and some nice discrete oak characters. Nice dry finish. Again a bargain Bordeaux Blanc which is lovely as an aperitif and very easy to drink.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

Petaluma Coonawarra 2004

On to our dinner, and we opened this 65% Cabernet Sauvignon 35% Merlot blend from SA. On the bouquet were some nice sweetish aromas of plums, cassis, violets, perhaps roses, vanilla and some tobacco notes. The palate was initially a little hot and fruit focused, but did settle in to some very soft and integrated oak and tannins. A nice but slight mineral core was evident, with quite an elegant finish. I did want to drink more of this, as it did refine very well. A good decant recommended.
50+4+13+17+8 = 92/100

Peter Lehmann Reserve Semillon 2001

Easter in full swing and fully relaxed, we opened this bottle of somewhat aged semillon, which showed an array of limes, lemon, wax, smoke and a little sweet nuttiness. On the palate it was quite soft and rounded, with a little acidity peaking through. Rich in fruits and some sweet musk flavours and a long and dry finish, this was quite good semillon. Probably a touch juicy for me but still nice drinking.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Penfolds Reserve Bin Riesling 2000

Needing a drink to start Easter, picked up this Eden Valley riesling. Opened to quite an expressive bouquet of red apple, citrus, musk, anise and a touch of bitumen. On the palate it was quite rounded, with soft apples, balanced acidity and dry finish. Slightly old world in feel, with some toasty aged semillon character, this was quite an elegant wine, which could cellar a bit further. Very nice example and a pleasure to drink.
50+4+13+17+8 = 92/100

Clyde Park Pinot Noir 2006

Good to try an Australian Pinot after a little hiatus, and this one, from Bannockburn Vic, opened to a nice array of sour cherry, plum, mocha, mulch and a little spice. On the palate it was quite balanced, with more sour cherry notes, mulch and a little beetroot. Mid-weighted and nice accommodating tannins made for an elegant, mid-priced pinot.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

Coto De Imaz Rioja Reserva 2001

Seeing a new Rioja in the store, Deb quickly grabbed this for our dinner. Opened to a rather sweet and fruity bouquet, which did settle to show a very pleasing array of red berries, nougat, vanilla and a hint of licorice. The palate was fairly laden with more berry fruits and some very soft and velvety tannins, and finished soft, dry and very nicely balanced. I think this has become a new favourite of ours, and at $26 is great value. Very moreish.
50+4+13+17+8 = 92/100

Hugel Riesling 2005

Friday night, and for our aperitifs we tried this riesling from Riquewihr Alsace. Opened to quite a lovely bouquet of lemon, lime, green apples, flowers, honey and some nice sweet musk notes. On the palate it was quite fresh, with strong but balance acidity, juicy fruits and soft minerals. Finished quite dry and would suit shellfish very well. Quite a well made base-range riesling.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007

An emergency white from the local, this SB opened to a nice bouquet of gooseberries, citrus, capsicum and some floral notes. On the palate a little sulphur was evident, but did blow off eventually to show a clean and quite well integrated palate, with some powdery minerals and dry soft finish. Not a bad example of the style and certainly softer than traditional NZ SB. Quite nice.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Kellerei Cantina Tramin Alto Adige Lagrein 2006

The last bottle from a cheap import case I had got a few weeks ago, this red opened to an array of forest fruits, blackberry, currant with some minerals. On the palate it was quite a fruity affair, with acidity a little sharp. Tannins were acceptably soft and accommodating. Overall a fairly basic wine, which was a little rough around the edges.
50+4+12+15+7 = 88/100

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

I don't tend to buy much wine from Penfolds, but did this weekend as had read some good reviews about the Bin 407. Opened to quite a sweetish bouquet of red berry fruits, blackcurrant, pastilles, cabernet leaf, oak and some earthy notes. On the palate it showed rich but not heady fruits over some very fine dusty tannins, with soft acidity, good length and an almost powdery dry finish. I do prefer more savory examples but this was quite an elegant wine, even perhaps leaning a little towards the sweet side. Very well crafted Cab Sav.
50+4+13+18+7 = 92/100

M.Chapoutier Condrieu 2004

I have neglected getting some Condrieu for quite a while, as is a little pricey, so decided to grab some for our pre-dinner drinks. Opened very coyly, but slowly revealed aromas of apricot, stalk, tropicals, minerals and soft spice. On the palate it was quite elegant, with superb balance of acid, fruit and minerals, all discreetly playing off each other. Again this confirms my love and respect for Condrieu, and while this seemed a fairly basic example, it still suggests to me that the white wines from this appellation are quite superb.
50+4+13+18+8 = 93/100

Mount Pleasant Museum Elizabeth Semillon 1999

I think I have had a 1998 vintage of this semillon, and wasn't that taken, but was curious to give the 1999 a try. Opened to a nice array of lemon, wax, vanilla herbs and some toast. On the palate it was quite rounded and well balanced with robust but soft acidity, finishing clean and dry. Still has an old fashioned style about it, but a little more generous this time.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Louis Jadot Mâcon Blanc Villages 2006

I do like white wines from Mâcon, usually they are relatively cheap and well made, so was pleased to see this one in the store. On the bouquet were aromas of red and green apples, honey, twigs and some mineral and citrus notes. On the palate it was quite juicy, with good minerality and dry finish. Overall quite a balanced, simple yet very enjoyable Burgundy. Great as an aperitif.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Gratien & Meyer Brut Rose NV

A pink version of this sparkling wine from Samur, made from a blend of Cabernet Franc and Grolleau, the bouquet showed some nice aromas of strawberry, redcurrant, cream, biscuits and a touch of yeast. On the palate it was quite well balanced, with decent beading and dry finish. Overall quite a competent and easy drinking sparkling rose.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Rocky Point Otago Pinot Noir 2005

Was please to see this available again, as the 2004 was a great value wine. Opened to a soft array of sour cherries, strawberry, sap, spice and some herbal notes. On the palate it seemed a little lighter than the 2004, but still fine tannins and nice sour finish. Certainly didn't have as much weight, and perhaps a little less complex than the previous vintage, but still very fine drinking.
50+4+13+16+8 = 91/100

Kellerei Cantina Tramin Alto Adige Pinot Bianco 2006

This wine is from the small region known as Alto Adige/Südtirol in the far north of Italy on the German border. On the bouquet this white showed aromas of citrus, apple, pear, spice, minerals and some florals. The palate was relatively simple, and quite rounded with acidity a little pronounced but not overly so. Length was decent and finish relatively dry. Overall quite a nice and simple white table wine.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2005

I was quite excited about the new vintage of this wine, as the 2004 was such a standout for me. Opened to a refined array of tropical fruits, herbs, ginger, citrus, vanilla and some smokey oak. On the palate it showed superb highly toned fruits, with a creamy, slippery mouthfeel. Lovely mineral backbone and soft dry and lengthy finish, this did remind me of a top quality Sancerre. A touch different in character to the 2004 (of which I probably prefer), but still the best white wine I have had from New Zealand. Excellent.
50+4+13+18+8 = 93/100

Henschke Tappa Pass Shiraz 2003

I don't remember the last time I had a Henschke red, probably due to their expensiveness these days, but this was recommended to me so gave it a try. Quite a concentrated bouquet of blackberry, blueberry, prunes, raspberry, chocolate and spices. The palate likewise was rich and lush with fruit over quite fine and soft tannins. Structuarally it was very balanced and sound, and length quite long. Overall quite a fine shiraz, and while not one of the best, it is certainly up there in quality.
50+4+13+17+8 = 92/100

Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone 2006

This cheap CDR, which is un-oaked, showed a rich and fruity bouquet of plum, berries, spices, raisins and some earthy notes. Again on the palate it was quite rich in fruits, with slightly chewey tannins. Finish was dry and length decent. Fairly rustic and up-front, it still was good and honest drinking. Quite good value at around $10.
50+4+12+17+7 = 90/100

Gratien & Meyer Cuvee Flamme Brut NV

Another sparkling wine from Samur, this time in a rather stylish bottle. Made from a blend of 54% Chenin Blanc, 33% Cabernet Franc, 13% Chardonna the bouquet showed aromas of citruss, melon, honey, cream and some biscuit. Quite a rich mousse and fine beading, it was quite rich on the palate, with sweetish fruit and soft dry finish. It did drop away on length after a little while but still not a bad sparkling wine. A touch sweet for me.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100