Western Australia
Tasted Friday, August 20, 2010 - Friday, August 27, 2010 by Alex H with 845 views
A week's tour of margaret river and swan wineries.
Nice estate with a very comfy restaurant overlooking the vines. Food was not bad and had asian influence. In general, a well known winery internationally and has differing standards across the range.
Very small estate with decent wines. Staff there a bit lost in her own thoughts. More of a tourist place.
(8/23/2010)
Clean, minearlly dry. Very grassy too that is nicely done. Very mineral wine with oyster shelss. Well made and au naturel.
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(8/23/2010)
Merlot dominated. Styled more towards the dry styled rose even though there are residual sugars in it. Some minerality.
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(8/23/2010)
Dark luscious plums, dark beries , a bit exotic with lots of dark roasted cocoa and choc but fresh.
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The first really suprise find in margaret river. This is family run and a small winery as well. The winemaker is pretty funny with dry wit and humor. Wines have been "discovered" by James Halliday recently and I would say that this estate will soon be internationally known if they keep up with the quality. Wines are good overall with the chardonnay appealing a lot to me. The reds are geared towards more oomph and parker but does have some classiness. All wines grown on terra rossa and the quality of the terroir shows.
(8/23/2010)
Rich creamy and luscious with butter cream atop fresh waffles but also displays clean minerality . A bit like a crossover between a chablis and a chassagne.Excellently made.
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(8/23/2010)
Mineral lemons and sweet guava. Quite well done as well.
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(8/23/2010)
Sweet grassy nose. So so wine with sugary water and some lift from a twist of lemon . Not distinctive.
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(8/23/2010)
Impressive imitation of rhone with cracked black pepper and cracked white pepper flavours coming through quite strongly . This resembles a peppery pig's organ soup. Savory and tasty.
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(8/23/2010)
Reductive soy sauce notes, leather saddle and very rustic smelling. Dark exotic fruited . Somehow this is still all over the place. A bit confused right now. Might be better with time.
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(8/23/2010)
Lost my notes on this but dont distinctively remember much of this .To me , this was an entry level effort. Standardish margaret river stuff that most wineries can churn out. Though I dont remember it to be distinctively bad either.
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(8/23/2010)
Lost my notes on this but I remember a word I had used...Wow! This was complexly rich and multi layered with rich cassis driven fruit but also possessing an attractive exotic note.
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(8/23/2010)
This was thinner and somehwat more reductive than the 2007 but I do remember it to be softer and gentler too. Like a overlooked younger brother .
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(8/23/2010)
Green leafy herbaceous nose with power though. Dark spices, rich dark cocoa, dark luxurious black leather, dried saddle and dried leaves and earth coming through . Multi layered.
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(8/23/2010)
A seemingly OTT parker wine with dark colours, punchy black fruited nose but this is still a controlled black mare with rhone like power rather than an american stallion. Well made.
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Some wines picked out at the liquor stores to go with our home cooked dinners. Quite decent prices but mostly newer vintages.
(8/23/2010)
Sweet fun and fizzy with strawberries, raspberries in perrier water and sccops of pure white cane sugar.
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(8/23/2010)
Swwet cherries with a good dose of pretty red earth, small rounded forest berries. Good acid structure , earthiness and some "terroir" shows thru.
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(8/23/2010)
Ginger spice, soft but lots of roots and earth. Quite spicy plums and cloves showing on the palate.
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(8/23/2010)
Sweet cassis, savory bbq smoke, caramel sauce with licourice. Inkish plums well kept in control , blackcurrants and black prunes. Quite quaffable in the sense that it is not at all OTT.
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A small estate but more commercialised though. Nice restaurant with superb view. The off dry wines are quite good. The staff are not very well versed with their wines but accomodating enough to let me taste for an hour.
(8/23/2010)
Green apples, some grass and white stones. Clean and chalky with lingering tangerines and lime aftertaste. Some residual sugars. Quite impressionable .
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(8/23/2010)
Orange blssoms and gooseberries. More tamed and a little low key. Average quaffing stuff.
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(8/23/2010)
Melons, honey dew and orange blossoms form a fruity nose. Peaches and cream and quite sugary . A bit flat.
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(8/23/2010)
Honeycomb and wild flowers. Quite dry for the nose . A bit oily textural but a just a hair. Some schist and rock minerality.
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(8/23/2010)
Light ruby red. Brambles roses, some tar and smoke. Graphite, crayola, some alc and red ruby cherries. Very balanced with such a light palate unexpected. Interesting rendition.
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(8/23/2010)
2 1/2 years in french and american oak but not over oaky on the nose, just slightly cedary. Palate is quite dry though with light wood and little fruit attractiveness. Pass.
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(8/23/2010)
Classic spicy blakc plums, brambles and dark florals. Some tar, some leather funk supported by good spicy fruits. Not overly done. A balanced and good effort.
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(8/23/2010)
Reductive soy sauce notes with dried out raisins. A bit overcooked and over ripened to my liking. This has lost most of its attractive fruits. Still has just a few sweet prunes helping it to survive though.
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(8/23/2010)
Spicy black fruit , forest berries with some hospital smells. Intereting though, its sweeter than a dry red but not exactly sweet enough to qualify as a dessert. It is like a grape juice drink or a red version of a german kabinett. Only 12% alc. This is a quaffing dessert wine.
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(8/23/2010)
Sweet raspberries, summer cherries, strawberries make a lovely wine . This is fruity sweet like a juice too. 10% alc and totally quaffable. Delicious stuff. A bit unorthodox but on a summer's night , this served chilled would be excellent!
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(8/23/2010)
Tropical pineapples, lychees, some florals. This is really like a german riesling, almost like a mosel spatlese / auslese.
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Family run and owned but quality is so so. More for tourists though the staff there are very warm and welcoming.
(8/24/2010)
Light tropical nose of rock melons, some sweet fresh cut grass. Fresh clean gooseberries, lime with bitter grapefruit finish.
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(8/24/2010)
Fresh morning grass with gooseberries and lime zest. Spicy grass, lemon grass lift with a bit of bitter lemon seeds to the end.
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(8/24/2010)
Same tropical nose character. Zippy racy palate of sweet passionfruits, some lychees. Lovely stuff . Delightful drinking.
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(8/24/2010)
Pretty pink , very attractive colour. Pretty strawberries and cream with red raspberries too. Sweet sugary raspberry dominated . Need more acidity. Fun wine and very nice colour.
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(8/24/2010)
Smoky burnt tyres with hot tarmac road. Palate is ok though with so so racy red berry fruits.
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(8/24/2010)
Smoky spicy oak with ripe black plums. Lot of licourice plums with some tannins on the finish. A so so wine.
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(8/24/2010)
Ripe rich plums with smoke. Same on the palate. So so.
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(8/24/2010)
Generic with expected coffee toasttiness and summer raisins. Quite delicate but not excitingly complex though.
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The winemaker is a big burly aussie hippie looking, also looking kinda mafia-ish . A little scary though his wines were quite uniquely different especially the rosso d amore. He says its a secret blend and was really unwilling to say more. He was kinda unhappy that I didnt buy anything. Not a place I would advise to go for free tastings.
(8/24/2010)
Dry tropical fruit notes with some white mushrooms. Some honeysuckle , white ripe stone fruits. A lil oily but good with mineral finish.
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(8/24/2010)
Aromatic passionfruit and grapefruit but controlled. Quite dry , grassy with suprising rock minerality.
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(8/24/2010)
Transparent clear. Some floral spiced elderflowers. This is refreshing light with just a dose of honeysuckly , tropical pears and vanishes quite quickly though.
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(8/24/2010)
Muted nose but palate has tangy pomegranate, passionfruit which could be mistaken for a white if tasted from a black glass. Very exciting , interesting like a juice. Lively and would be a crowd pleaser.
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(8/24/2010)
Extremely scented with dark fruits, forest woods, smoky. Balanced but lots of old oak and kinda dried out.
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(8/24/2010)
Rich wild berries and cherries. Sour cherries with enough ripeness so ok . Enough acidity. An okay wine.
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(8/24/2010)
Golden sultanaes. Delicious layered luscious , almost like the noble one with a bitter herbaceous streak on a sweet memorable finish. Medium length .
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Very welcoming staff that was very enthusiatic about the wines. Quite knowledgeable and educates very well. Wines are variable in quality.
(8/24/2010)
Tropical fruit nose but muted and cool. Lively recy grassy almost like an SSB.
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(8/24/2010)
This was 70% chenin, 30% chardonnay. Crisp acidity with chenin honeysuckle showing on the nose. Passionfruits, and unripe papaya salad. Grapefruit lift at the end.
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(8/24/2010)
Muted and lightly aromatic nose of guavas and lime. Some honeysuckle notes but mostly chalky lime like a clare riesling.
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(8/24/2010)
70% Cabernet , 25% merlot and 5% cab. Indian spices in an indian ma ma shop with cloves. Some savory notes. Blaanced dark spiced plums and round currants with orange peels. Rounded finish.
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(8/24/2010)
Exotic spiced raaspberry with some greenish notes. Attractive mouth perfumery of black cherries and spices / herbs atop round nicely ripe currants. Lovely balance, well made. Good finese.
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(8/24/2010)
Some reductive soy sauce notes but just mostly very muted nose though. Savory notes of paine grille , dark plum juice with some bitter mocha and cinnamon with rounded currant juice.
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One of the original settlers in the region. They have pretty old vines. The sweets are marvelous with depth.
(8/24/2010)
Fresh apple and pears. Refreshing zippy fizzy palate of nashi pears and white fleshy peaches.
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(8/24/2010)
Passionfruit , sweet guavas on nose. Grapefruit citrus , lightly oily . Nice and expected quality.
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(8/24/2010)
Fresh tropical pears and florals with white melons and white peaches. Fruity yet defined and somewhat classy. Grapefruits, sweet lime and gooseberries.
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(8/24/2010)
Tropical fruits, sweet fresh and lightly delicate with crisp sweetness.
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(8/24/2010)
Only oaked for 3 months. This has pretty and sweet nose of sweet hibiscus, raspberries and vanillin cherries. Soft light palate made up of round strawberries and black berries.
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(8/24/2010)
Only 3 months in oak. This has fresh violets and red cherries on the nose. Soft plummish currants with fresh acidity.
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(8/24/2010)
Christmas spiced plum cake with dark raisins and brandy. Oooohh..this is a comfort wine god over winter at the fireplace. Beautifully rich and jammy.
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(8/24/2010)
Rich luscious vanillin brulee with golden raisins...this tastes like creme brulee liquefied with caramel toffee and honey mixed in.
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(8/24/2010)
This is beautifully layered with coffee creme, liquor, brandy mixed in with some fino familiarity too! Intense toffee richly bursting on the palate with much vigour and depth. Finishes with a fresh baked waffle laden with cinnamon and maple syrup.
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One of the original croatian wine pioneers here. The wines are well made and the cellar door is underground...quite cool. Speaking to the winemaker , he is quite a quiet chap and loves his burgundies. Wines made are pretty elegant and stand out.
(8/24/2010)
Steely fresh crisp with white lime and white stonefruits finishing cleanly mineral and pure.Dry styled.
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(8/24/2010)
Clean, linear and pure. Fresh and dry with schist and rock plus a steely finish . Feels like a chablis.
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(8/24/2010)
Mineral, fresh earth and supported by fresh sour cherries. Woodsy and wispy with rocks. Reminds me if a softer gevrey . This could age well.
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(8/24/2010)
85% cab the rest malbec. Fresh roses, some tar, some smoke and crushed cherries. Very pristine clear palate of pure polished red currant fruits.
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(8/24/2010)
This rare muscat is filled with grandly rich toffee aromas. Nice lively acidity supporting coffee berries and waffle maple syrup. Wow! Decadent yet humble. Amazing depth and a historical wine .
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Croatian neighbour to John Kosovich. This is also an original pioneer here. The dry wines are not outstanding but the sweets are iconic stuff.
(8/26/2010)
Clean fresh mineral . White stonefruits with very fresh grapefruits. Extremely clean palate.
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(8/26/2010)
A blend of chardonnay and chenin. Also pristine and pure with white stonefruits, very mineral and a bit of fino. 3 months in french oak .
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(8/26/2010)
Simple straight blaanced with some spicy plums and currants. Hard to traste from the small plastic cups provided but from what I could get, this is quite controlled.
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(8/26/2010)
Snokey licourice. Black plums and currants almost like the shiraz with spiciness. Bitter licourice and some mocha and menthol herb like finish.
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(8/26/2010)
Made in the year the winemaker died by his son. A special emotional sweet. Rich date juice , partially dried apricots, fresh and just lovely. Nicely spicy apricot jams, toffee, coffee atop some smokey roasted chestnuts.
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(8/26/2010)
Fresh and lively with dried raisiny nose. This is heart warming stuff, a wine with history , heart and soul. Released as the 65th anniversary of this winery and made from original vines planted then. This is luscious yet not snobbish , humble but great wine. All your coffee, toffee caramel and christmasy richness is there. An iconic wine for Swan.
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(8/26/2010)
Sourish with lively lift . Nice wine although no as complex but very refreshing in style. A bit of fino comes through as well with golden sultanas.
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Another pioneer in the region. A bit off the way from the other swan producers but this is worth visiting as the wines though not excpetionally outstanding. The winemaker and his wife are very welcoming and warm as well as willing to explain. The prices are crazily low and they sell out every vintage, which makes sense given the price they charge and the quality you get. QPR here is high. This would prob be one of my house wines if I lived in Perth.
(8/26/2010)
Clean crisp grapefruits , gooseberries and twist of lemon. Mineral and dry.
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(8/26/2010)
Grass and straw. Gooseberries for days and justs a hint of passionfruit.
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(8/26/2010)
Fresh crisp grapefruit . Mineral and very dry. Straw dry and crisp. Really bone dry like a clare riesling.
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(8/26/2010)
Mostly chenin , this has a tropical nose but still quite a dry , fresh and crisp wine with a chalky finish.
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(8/26/2010)
Clean crisp and still with the fresh tropical flavours of citrus and orange blossoms.
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(8/26/2010)
Chenin and some verdelho goes into this . Light peaches, some sugars but really stiull a very fresh , crisp wine with little sugariness showing .
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(8/26/2010)
Very nicely done amd classy , a bit reminding me of the entry level chateau d'esclans with lightly rose petals and minerality and finishing slightly spicy. Almost classically european in style.
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(8/26/2010)
Slightly spicy with spicy oak. The weakest link in their range i thought. Too oaky and unattractive.
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(8/26/2010)
Interesting aromatics , a bit of dettol here. Spicy oak, dry strawberry plums. Soft and balanced though not many would like.
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(8/26/2010)
70% cabernet 30% merlot. This has savory cherries, curry leaves , dark kirsch cherries and dark exotic plums. Soft strawberries, easy drinking and a steal for just $10! This beats all the supermarket wines hands down. Lightly oaked and very balanced and almost elegant.
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(8/26/2010)
Made from 65 yr old vines. There is a depth of aromas of dark earth, black wood, cloves and anise. Lots of black pepper, some brambly cherries. A bit alc .
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(8/26/2010)
Made from the best fruit of the old vines. This has smoke, bbq pain grille with tomatoes, plums still on the grill. A small oomph on the palate reminding me of a barossa with american vanillin oak coming through.
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(8/26/2010)
A lot of sweet sweet apricots.
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(8/26/2010)
Very sweet with jammy fruits.
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(8/26/2010)
Sweet black juice with lots of jammy fruits.
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(8/26/2010)
Very sweet too but with sultanas.
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Once again, my tour of the swan has strenghtened my view that Swan makes world class sweet wines and they should not loose focus. The whties are usually fresh and tropical but mostly internationally driven.
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NV Capel Vale Debut Unwooded 83 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
(8/23/2010)
Bubbly foamy. Slightly sweet tropical pears. Fun and quite delicious.
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2009 Capel Vale Riesling Cellar Exclusive Mount Barker 79 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker
(8/23/2010)
Sweeter tangerines, round , not forceful and a bit weak personality.
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2009 Capel Vale Viognier Cellar Exclusive 83 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Geographe
(8/23/2010)
Sweet orange blossoms, a different type of viognier as its not as oilu. Orange licourice on the finish. Inviting.
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2008 Capel Vale Shiraz Debut 82 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia
(8/23/2010)
Rose blossoms, vert floral with spice. Some bitter orange and suprisingly dry finish.
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2009 Capel Vale Chardonnay Regional Series Pemberton 80 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Pemberton
(8/23/2010)
Somewhat steely dry with some white wooded oak. Smoke and minerality and mimicking a chablis. Decent.
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2009 Capel Vale Riesling Whispering Hill 86 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker
(8/23/2010)
Dry, steely., schist and wet dog fur. Half sweet lime and half white grapefruit. Fresh, clean, minearl and pure unadulterated. Almost like a chablis and a very classy understated elegant wine.
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2008 Capel Vale Petit Verdot Cellar Exclusive 74 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Geographe
(8/23/2010)
Spicy dark berries, oak and brambles. Furious showing of rich cassis, brandy alc heat and oak. Imbalanced.
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2007 Capel Vale Shiraz Whispering Hill 77 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker
(8/23/2010)
Cool timber wood, coffeee and dark chocolate. Extracted and modern but trying to cover up with french oak albeit overdoing it.
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2007 Capel Vale Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard Series The Scholar
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
(8/23/2010)
Very oaky and overoaked right now with smoke and tar but there are dark fruits underneath. Kinda austere and hard to decipher now. Not sure how to score.
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