Bannockburn Saignée 2005

Looking for a good rose, found this one made I suspect from Pinot Noir. Beautiful pale rusty rose colour, the bouquet showed red-current, rose petal and some vanilla. On the palate it showed an almost oily texture, with slightly bitter fruit and dry chewy finish. Reminded me a little of a Bandol in style. Overall quite an interesting rose which is above your average Australian rose.
50+5+13+17+7 = 92/100

Palacios Remondo Propiedad H Remondo Rioja 2003

Was pleased to find a new Rioja for dinner. On the bouquet were some big aromas of cherry, raspberry, game, vanilla and spice. The palate was bright and a little racy, but did settle to show some balanced fruit over some nice oak and fairly chewy tannins. I suspect this will settle down more with time in the bottle. Overall quite a decent straight forward Rioja, which did lack a little complexity, but has promise.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

Peter Lehmann Blue Eden Riesling 2000

An unusual find from Peter Lehmann, which seems to be I gather a limited release wine. Opened to an array of soft citrus, lime and lemon, sweet musk and florals. On the palate it was quite delicate, with soft fruit over some powdery minerals. Most of the action is on the front and middle palate, with not much at all on the back. Length a little disappointing but really not a bad wine.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Tobacco Road Shiraz 2003

A cheap red needed so picked up this one from our local. Opened to quite a generous bouquet of blueberries, cherry, spice and oak. On the palate it was quite rich, balanced and generous, with some nice soft tannins and decent finish. A touch of alcohol was present but really all up quite a decent and drinkable shiraz.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Ridge Geyserville 2005

Finally my first ever American wine, this one from Sonoma County CA, and made from 77% Zinfandel, 17% Caringane and 6% Petite Sirah. Opened to aromas of black cherries, licorice, caramel, cola(lots of it), and spice. On the palate it was quite well balanced, showing initially liberal oak which did drop away from the fruit quite quickly. Again lots of cola flavour on this wine, probably too much, but may have been intentional for American palates. Overall an interesting introduction to US wine, but at the same time a little disconcerting.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Pink Elephant Rose 2006

A new import from Portugal, this rose made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Castelão and Alfrocheiro showed some nice aromas of cherry, strawberry, fairy floss and a touch of spice. On the palate it was quite well balanced, with juicy red-berry fruits over minerals and clean acid. Finished dry and soft. Overall quite a well made rose which was easy drinking. A bargain too at $9.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

3 Tales Malborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008

At dinner with a friend, grabbed a bottle of this very new release from Malborough. Apparently a joint effort between Brent Marris and De Bortoli, this SB opened to aromas of gooseberries, passionfruit, grass, citrus and some mineral. On the palate it was quite robust, with some gripping acids, big fruit but quite dry on the back palate. Length decent and finish dry. All up quite a big SB yet in balance. Did lack some character and dimension. A little too textbook for me. Still interesting label design.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny 2005

A second Burgundy from Vintage, this one from Chambolle-Musigny, just north-west from Vougeot in the Cote de Nuits. On opening the bouquet showed flashes of cherries and spice, but quickly became reticent, then very slowly revealed a sophisticated melange of cherry, caramel, vanilla, earth and soft spices. On the palate there was quite some tannins to get past, but after some time they abated to show smooth and silky and very integrated fruits and oak. Finish was quite drying due to the tannins and oak, but I suspect over time the wine will settle into a superb and very fine palate. Needs plenty of time in the bottle, or a very long decant, perhaps around 8 hours to show more of its potential.
50+4+13+17+8 = 92+/100

Yalumba Sangiovese Rose 2007

Have been keen to try this wine, upon reading about it a year ago or so. Lovely pale magenta colour, the bouquet held aromas of strawberry, cherry, redcurrant, pastilles, rose petals and a little spice. On the palate it was quite well balanced, with lovely red fruits over some clean acids, some savouryness and a slight creaminess. Finished crisp and relatively short but overall this was a very enjoyable and friendly rose. Very good value at around $12.
50+5+13+16+7 = 91/100

Villa Pigna Collelungo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC 2006

A cheap Italian red for dinner, this wine opened to quite an expressive bouquet of redberries, blackberries, florals, herbs and some farmyard odors. On the palate it was reasonably weighted and balanced, with more emphasis on savoury flavours. The palate did drop away somewhat to leave the wine a little flat, and it did develop a slight pong of manure, but that may have been intentional? Overall a relatively simple and rustic wine, with more emphasis on the rustic, but drinkable and food friendly.
50+4+12+15+7 = 88/100

Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc 2007

We aborted getting a bottle of the Cloudy Bay Te Koko to try this French made Marlborough SB, by Domaine Henri Bourgeois of Sancerre. Opened to quite an intense bouquet of gooseberries, grass, pear, spice, vanilla and flashes of raspberries. On the palate fruits were intensely extracted, but balanced over some fine acids and minerals. Texture was slightly oily and length was quite long, finishing dry and lingering. Overall a very well made SB, with a nice combination of NZ power held in check by French finesse. Probably possessed a little less complexity than the Te Koko, but truly an excellent effort.
50+4+13+18+8 = 93/100

Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling 2001

Pre-dinner we opened this riesling from the Eden Valley. Opened to quite a big aromas of lime juice, petrol, honey, toast and some sweet musk. On the palate again quite big at the front and mid end, but lacked depth. Finish was soft and length was a bit disappointing. Overall promised to be quite a powerful and well crafted Australian style riesling, but not fully delivering. Still very nice drinking, and has won a few trophies.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Faiveley Mercurey "Clos Du Myglands" 1er Cru 2005

Seeing some new Burgundies in store, decided to grab a couple, one of which being from Mercurey in the Chalonnais. After a couple of hours decanting, the bouquet revealed bright raspberries, cherries, rose petals and some sweet spice. On the palate it displayed twinkling fruits over sharp and clean acid, but dominating everything were the tannins, big and under ripe, which took a while to adjust to. Once so the wine did slowly start to reveal some complexity, with mushroom, earth and caramel notes emerging. Overall this wine is too young to be drunk now, and certainly needs a good number of days in a decanter, or years in a cellar to soften and express.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89+/100

Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2004

Not seeing any Reserve Rieslings left, I had to content myself to settle for the Pinot Gris, which I had not tried in any case. Opened to a fairly austere and refined bouquet showing spiced pears, apricot, musk and some honey. On the palate again austere, with fine minerals and very balanced acids. Finished quite soft and totally dry. Overall quite an elegant wine, but felt slightly aneamic.

50+4+12+17+7 = 90/100

Pieve di Spaltenna Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2000

Although not a fan, I got some Chianti for our pasta dinner, this one being made mainly from Sangiovese, with small additions of Merlot and Colorino. On the bouquet were some nice aromas of red berries, blackberries, rose petals, violets and some spice. The palate was quite savoury, which was a nice contrast, with some sweet balsamic flavours towards the finish. I did find that the body of this wine dropped away occasionally, leaving it a bit thin in parts, but otherwise still quite a lovely and respectable wine.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Alkoomi Wandoo Semillon 2002

Not having tried this before, chose it over some Tyrrells semillons. Opened to a fresh bouquet of lemon, honey, soap and some vanilla. On the palate it was quite lean in body, with clean and balanced acid. Finish was reasonable and length a little short and finish a shade flabby. All up not a bad semillon, which did show some finesse, but lacked a little character and discipline for me.
50+4+13+15+7 = 89/100

Metala Cabernet Shiraz 2006

Another vintage of this cab shiraz, this time the 2006. Opened to quite a sweet and perfumed bouquet of raspberry, violets, black currants, pepper and some licorice. On the palate it was light to medium bodied, with good balance and length. Overall seemed a little sweeter and lighter than previous vintages, but still very drinkable.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Château de Sancerre 2006

Out to dinner with a friend, saw this on the wine list, so decided to order a bottle and moules a la creme. Opened to quite a fresh bouquet of citrus, flint, stone and minerals. On the palate more rounded than the last bottle I had some years ago, with clean citrus fruit over some nice minerals. Length was quite reasonable and finish crisp and dry. Again a great lean Sancerre, although a touch more fruit driven this time. Complimented the mussels perfectly.
50+4+13+17+7 = 91/100

Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir 2006

Latest vintage of this Pinot from Wairarapa NZ. Opened to a fresh and fruity bouquet of cherries, raspberry, red currant, cola and some spices. On the palate it was quite lean in body, with some nice sourness and slightly young and grabbing tannins. Finished relatively well but overall seemed a bit young. Could do perhaps with a little time in the bottle, but not sure how long it would last. Still good value at around $20.
50+4+13+16+7 = 90/100

Joseph Drouhin Chablis 2006

Its been a couple of years since we tried this Chablis, around Christmas 2005 and being the 2002 vintage. On the bouquet were aromas of melon, citrus, menthol, grilled nuts and a little sweet musk. The palate was quite tight and integrated, with clean juice and some nice mineral characters. Overall pretty much straight up Chablis, which does lack a little character, but still quite good.
50+4+12+16+7 = 89/100

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige DOC 2006

We have been having this pinot grigio on and off since 1997, but the last time was a very lack-lustre 2003 vintage, which put us off for some time. Finally decided to try it again, as I do remember having some excellent dinners with this excellent wine. Opened to show wonderful aromas of lemon curd, golden apple, honey and vanilla. On the palate it was clean and dry, with crisp acidity and tight dry finish. I was extremely pleased to find this wine back to its former glory again. Highly recommended with grilled shellfish or just as an aperitif.
50+4+14+17+8 = 93/100