Newcastle Wine Club - August 2005

Benvenuti's Italian Restaurant, Cooks Hill
Tasted Wednesday, August 10, 2005 by serialmonkey with 868 views

Introduction

August edition of the Newcastle Wine Club. Semillon and Aussie Pinot brackets this time around. 10 people in attendance and all wines tasted blind.

Flight 1 - Semillon bracket (6 Notes)

Semillon was an open bracket - anything from anywhere. 2001 seemed to be a popular year and provided a good comparison across wines.

  • 1996 Chain of Ponds Sémillon

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

    Obvious oak on the nose with dull golden colour. Seems non-Hunter in style. Medium body and mouth feel with residular sugar evident. Grapefruit and Kiwi fruit flavours across the palette with a dry alcohol kick, but no honey or toasty characteristics. Contains 30% French oak and seem much younger in the glass. Will last at least 5-6 years longer with ease. Rated Good.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2004 Moss Wood Sémillon

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Destinctive strawberry on the nose. Almost watery hue's, if a tad dull. Lots of sugar on the palette with medium length. Sauv Blanc charactertistics on the nose which blew off as the glass warmed up. Gooseberries, lemon and lime on the palette. Not heaps of acid but excellent fruit structure. Obviously a very young wine. Full flavour and decent structure with the classic semillon nose. High alcohol (14%) very evident. Rated good to very good.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2001 Tamburlaine Sémillon

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Medium to pale golden colours. Almost Riesling style nose. Big mouthfeel with bottle age evident in the mid-palette. Bit of sugar hits the tounge. Perhaps going through that duller "middle patch" that some Semillon goes through. Not alot of acid with peaches and other stonefruit on the palette. Acid will show it through 4-5 more years, but the fruit is perhaps questionable. Rated good.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2001 Gartelmann Sémillon

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Shiny but pale golden colours. Nose a tad closed off. Mango, tangerine and apple on the palette which opened up alot more as the glass warmed up. Very sweet and floral with only a touch of acid. Rated good.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2001 Tyrrell's Sémillon Reserve

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Belford

    Sugar, grapefruit and lemon evident on the palette. Big but a tad empty perhaps. Seems very young, lots of life ahead of it no doubt. Fruit isn't showing well at the moment but it has all the characteristics of improving with age. Rated Very Good.

    Tried again the remaining half-bottle thhe night-after opening. Improved greatly with much more lemon and tangy showing through.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2001 Tyrrell's Sémillon Single Vineyard Stevens

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Pale and golden with decent acid. Very typical Hunter Sem flavours with a touch of age evident. Very floral and broad nose. Green apples and grapefruit most evident with a touch of honey. Very refined but approachable. Rated Very Good.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Flight 2 - Pinot bracket. (6 Notes)

Pinot bracket. This bracket was restricted to Aussie pinots.

  • 2000 Candlebark Hill Pinot Noir

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges

    Red berries and that typical barnyard pong on the nose. Elegant tannins with lots of fruit, but none of the Pinot funkyness. Bitter and stalky at times, which tended to blow off in the glass. Strawberry and cherry flavours with some chocolate coming through. Bottle age showing through the palette. Very easy drinking. Rated Very Good to Excellent.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2001 Cheviot Bridge Wines Pinot Noir

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yea Valley

    Darker red colours - not very pinot like. Super dry palette with huge fruit. Lots of oak, laquer and pepper. Very odd structure but drinking well. Rated Very good to Excellent.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2003 Pipers Brook Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate

    Australia, Tasmania

    Obvious forest floor characters on the nose, a tad funky. Huge fruit buzz across the palette. Full bodied with caramel coming through with a touch of spice. Rated excellent.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2002 Brokenwood Pinot Noir Beechworth

    Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth

    Blend from Yarra Valley and Beechworth.

    Forest floor smells very evident on the nose. Sweet and fruity with decent spice to back up the flavours. Perhaps a touch overcooked. Not heaps of acid but good length showing through. Short with heaps of impact. Rated good.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2003 Tomboy Hill Pinot Noir Nintinbool

    Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Ballarat

    Colours are definitely darker than a standard Pinot. Excellent nose though and super smooth. Pure Class, reminds me of some top-level NZ Pinot's. Low tannins and decent acid. 5-6 years to go easy. Showing all the standard cool-climate characteristics. Showing that good fruity buzz on the palette. Rated excellent.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2003 Les Vins de Vienne Côtes du Rhône

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

    Big and black with a very peppery, shiraz nose. Super super dry with sweet cooked flavours coming through the front palette. Perhaps too dry - but this seemed to wear off with abit of time. Charred wood and raspberry flavours.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

×
×