Wine Fair @ Wine Gallery

Has some time before the tasting at Giron so decided to head down to Wine Gallery for a look. Brought my own glasses as they were using plastic cups. Has selectively chosen wines to taste.

For good value, Jacob's Creek does well most of the time.

• NV Jacob's Creek Brut 80 Points

  Australia, South Eastern

  Pretty yeasty on the nose with citrusy lemon lift. Although simple, this is quaffable with white stonefruits and some peach.

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• 2007 Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Reserve 80 Points

  Australia, South Eastern

  Quite burg "ass" with mushroomy smells. Simple clean lemon water.

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Mixed performance from Napa but most are quite expensive.

• 2006 Far Niente Chardonnay 79 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Lemon pear drops , corn creaminess, and though I got some cotton candy. Some grassy taint on a predominantly citrus grapefruit body. A bit short on the finish and weight-wise it seems to be lacking and diluted.Scored high on the nose but not kicking it for me on the palate and the price.

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• 2006 Beringer Vineyards Chardonnay Private Reserve 81 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Pear and lemon lifted. Clean lemon vanillin candy dominates the palate with whiffs of petroleum. Zingy finish.

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• 2005 Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 83 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Floral, slightly seductive style of a margaux and lifted by indian wood scents.Quite bordeaux styled with razor edge restraint. Might just be slightly woody but good firm structure and dark berries.

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• 2005 Stags' Leap Winery Petite Sirah 81 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  One word to describe the nose....BLACKFOREST CAKE! Pure blackforestt cake. On the palate, mostly prunish with pretty ruggard tannins. Slightly confectionary too.

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• 2003 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 85 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Dense nose of roasted coffee beans overwhelmed by smoky tar; lady's rouge; liquer fruit cake nearing the end. On the palate, dark berries, touch of dry hay, dried spices. Good balance with restraint on the alc. Not bad at all except it dips slightly in the middle but continues on to a medium toned finish. Angular structure that possesses more density and potential.

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• 2005 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville 85 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Ripe morello cherries, a bit of violets / lavender. Very plummish and also displaying a good spectrum of ligther red fruits. Seductive with gentleness and nice effeminate approach. Very good drinking now.

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• 2000 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley 85 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Already decanted for 3 hours. Very expressive nose with beautifully dark flowers (more violets) with some mint leaves, earthiness and whiffs of coffee. Lovely seductive mouthfeel of plums with draggy elegant finish. This is a comfortable lady of a wine.

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• 2004 Avignonesi Desiderio 88 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Almost aged brownish-look on murky red. Spiiced smoked cooked meats with sime spiced fruitcake and almost some wet earthiness. Lovely aged savory cherries, cooked plums with underlying undergrowth and floral scents. Very burgundian like...amazingly.

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• 2005 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 81 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

  Rustic cherries with cat's pee. Lightish strawberries that seemd dilute but seemingly also showed quite good length albeit at a low toned humming level till the finish.Satly smoky ham flavours and somewhat prunish. More of an easy wine.

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• 2001 Bodegas Altanza Rioja Lealtanza Reserva Miro 86 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  First tasted straight from the bottle, this was stewed red dates, stewed medicinal harb and stewed sweet hawflakes and strawberries. Good balance unlike most of RP's highly rated wines (he did rate this 95 I think). Excellent wine with similar burg traits. Tasted again from decanter, thie light menthol medicinal herbs showed up more. More cherryish and light red berries. Pretty wine with hints of bitter roots.

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• 2006 Acústic Celler Montsant Acústic 80 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Sweet confectionary blackberry / blueberry nose. Very CDP like with slight jammy fruits. Nice simple drinking and still retains balalnce.

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• 2004 Meerlust Merlot 83 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  A good expressive nose with savory bbq meatiness. Seductive and voluptous fruit lifted by nice spiciness. Rhubard, roots and menthol herbs adding to a savory body. Pretty dry but feminine with a lot of secondary earthy flavours.

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• 2005 Schloss Lieser Riesling Kabinett 82 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Melted plastic / rubber and petroleum notes. Good orangey acidity supported by lychees. One dimensional but enjoyable.

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• 2003 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese 83 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Spiced nose with slightly floral notes. Apple-orangey acidity. Very controlled with muted residual sugars despite being a Spatlese.

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• 2004 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese 82 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A bit of mushrooms with kero showing. Similar apple/ orange acidity that shows up in all of Schloss Lieser's rieslings. Very lab-like precision in its approach. Almost too clinical in efforts to keep the sugars lively.

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• 2003 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese 83 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Sweet pineapples and honeyed. Finally, the only riesling among the range of schloss liesers that didn't show the apple/orange flavours. This has more white caramel liquer or kahlua cocktail. Interesting with good acidity.

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• 2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 86 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Spiced lychees, honey pineapples lifted by floral notes.Very nicely struck balance of lemons and apples on a full spectrum of sweet notes. There is more completeness in approach.

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• 2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 81 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Perfumed fermented pineapples. More acid lift than the spatlese but quite a simple wine in comparison.

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• 2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 87 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Lovely petrol-kero smelss. Lovely blance straddling between sweet honeeyed fresh apricots and light, fresh, ripe momo peaches and apples. This has the most depth in flavours.

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All in all, a very good tasting event given its free!