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Real Review - Top Wineries of Australia
Campbell's store, Circular Quay West, The Rocks, Sydney
Tasted November 28, 2021 by chatters with 210 views
Introduction
First elbows at dawn tasting for a while...just under 2 hours to work my way around a room of Australia's finest (according to the Real Review)...the order is of tasting but was, unfortunately, a bit random as crowds gathered in front of tables...
Flight 1 (39 notes)
Red
2017 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon Abercrombie
Polished oak, cream, blackcurrant, slight plums, cedar, slight eucalyptus and very slight tomato leaf. Juicy, fleshy, textured but softly so, polished, ripe dark fruits, good.
White
2015 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1
Apple, green grass, slight lime leaf and kaffir lime, wet stone. Medium plus intensity acidity, sharp, green grassy and more limey on the palate, a little texture. Very young.
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White
2018 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon 1946 Vines Lovedale Vineyard
Medium minus intensity aromas of lemon, slight lime, less grassy than the Vat 1. Fleshier on the palate, juicy, fresh, balanced, long. Nice.
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Comment
White
2018 Howard Park Chardonnay Allingham
Medium minus intensity aromas of citrus over stone fruit, clean, very very slightly reductive bacon fat notes. Tangy and sharp, a little non-intrusive alcohol warmth, arguably lacks a little generosity. Hmm.
White
2019 Yarra Yering Chardonnay
Rich, buttery but without being overtly tropical; lemon over peach and slight apricot. Juicy, tangy, fleshy, very slightly sharp. Textured mid palate, long and lovely.
Red
2019 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1
Red over blackcurrant, mint, sweet spice from polished oak, a little red berry and plum. Juicy, fleshy, grippy drying, slightly coarse tannins close down the palate a bit, flavours persist beneath this long. Hmm.
Red
2019 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2
Cream, slightly jubey black fruit sweet spice, polished oak, blackberry tends to plum, pretty nose. Juicy, fleshy, floury textured tannins, blackberry fruit. Pretty. Rather lovely.
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Red
2018 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'A'
Medium minus intensity aromas of plums, blackberry, earth, touch of pepper, clean but with a little charcuterie encroachment. Medium plus intensity acidity, plummy, surprisingly rich fruit then dense, drying tight tannins that are quite chalky close things down. Hmm.
Red
2018 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Old Paddock & Old Hill
Medium mins intensity aromas, slightly reductive, plums, cedar, quite perfumed top notes, pretty, polished. Savoury, tightly textured tannins, fruit plays second fiddle here, needs time.
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Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz 1946 Vines Rosehill
Slightly reductive initially (showing some rubber), touch of Ribena, cream, earth, a little mud, fruit shows perfumed blackberry, slightly jubey with agitation. Juicy, fleshy, savoury after the initial fruit splash, tannins are chalky, drying, persistent, earthy. Hmm.
White
2018 Silkman Wines Sémillon Hunter Valley
Medium minus intensity aromas of lemon sherbet, clean, slight cream, a little sulphur here as well. Medium plus intensity acidity, tight lemon and lime, fresh grass, chalky textured mid palate. Medium length. Hmm.
White
2017 Silkman Wines Chardonnay Silk
Rich, reductive, smoked bacon fat, a little butter, nutty notes, fruit present but secondary on the nose. Juicy, a little citrus, alcohol warmth but this is, well, a bit meh on the palate.
Red
2017 Silkman Wines Shiraz Reserve
Savoury plum, blackberry, touches of pepper, cream, earth, sourly juicy, loads of tannins close everything down. Pretty awful on the palate. Nah.
White
2019 Pooley Chardonnay Cooinda Vale
From Magnum. Aromas of melon, a little wild ferment stinkiness, slight struck match, a little cream, polished oak, cereal. Medium plus intensity acidity, lemon over melon, textured mid palate, served a little too cold
White
2019 Pooley Chardonnay Butcher's Hill
From Magnum. The struck match quality is less obvious here, the wild ferment more controlled, a little lemon fruit has a touch of sherbet with melon in the background. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy and the melon more to the fore than the lemon, slight alcohol warmth, softly textured burr, okay.
Red
2018 Pooley Pinot Noir
Perfumed black cherry and berry with savoury, earthy underpin, a little spice. Juicy, polished, fleshy, similar fruit, very slight alcohol warmth, a little talc textured tannic burr. Balanced. Good based on my previous experience of Pooley Pinots...
Red
2017 Yalumba Grenache Vine Vale Tri-Centenary Vineyard
surprisingly pale and translucent, whole bunch stalkiness married to jubey prettiness, very red berry, a little white and black pepper. And, on the palate, this is not very nice at all.
Red
2016 Yalumba Shiraz The Octavius
Ooh, pretty, ripe, rich, classic Barossa beast, ripe, blackberry jam, cream, polished oak shows vanilla and caramel on the nose. Juicy acidity, blackberry jam, cream, vanilla supports, drying tannins, travels long. Old school Aussie and none the worse for that.
Red
2016 Yalumba The Caley
Rich and ripe but quite closed on the nose, loads of oak and concentrated black hued fruits. In the mouth, juicy acid, loads of tannins close things down. Long. Finishes a little sour. Meh.
Red
2018 Langmeil Grenache The Fifth Wave
Slight reductive; rubbery, savoury, red berry fruit...bit meh nose. Better on the palate, showing sweet red and black berries, smidge of strawberry jam, slightly coarse tannins. Not for me.
Red
2018 Langmeil Shiraz "Orphan Bank"
Very slight reductive, ripe, rich, blackberry jam, slight plum, peppery spice, caramel, sweet spice, polished oak almost a slightly resinous quality. Alcohol makes the mouth water, chewy woody tannins, ripe black fruits, oak lends caramel to the palate as well. Long, quite alcoholic but woof.
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Red
2015 Crawford River Cabernet Sauvignon
Chalky, earthy, mint, eucalyptus, a little tomato leaf over (oddly) sweet smelling black and red currant fruit. and the palate is a reflection of the nose; chalky tannins persist long, drying the gums, what fruit there is shows quite muted next to this. Nah.
White
2021 Hentley Farm Riesling Eden Valley
Lime, green apple, clean, fruit pure, simple nose. Clean, bone dry, lime with a smidge of green apple, it's a little skinny and short. Hmm.
Red
2018 Hentley Farm The Quintessential
Ripe black hued fruit, slightly spiced, alcohol warmth. Juicy, savoury, ripe black fruit, the acid is a little prickly, tannins are chalky, a little disappointing
Red
2018 Hentley Farm Shiraz The Beast
Ripe, concentrated black fruit tends to syrup, touch of liqourice and black treacle, savoury molasses, it's a little PX on the nose. And so it proves on the palate, tight tannins are the texture of wholemeal flour, alcohol warmth is very present but controlled, plenty of prune juice, salted liquorice. Hommage to CR?
Red
2018 Hentley Farm Shiraz Clos Otto
Aromas of clay, ripe blackberries and plums tend to slightly boiled compote, polished oak, sweet spices. Juicy, chewy fruit and tannins, alcohol warmth are all very present...as big and balanced as a 70's body builder. All travel long. Lovely.
Red
2019 John Duval Wines Grenache Annexus
Pretty ripe red berry compote with slightly chalky earth notes, sweet spice. Juicy, fleshy, balanced, surprisingly controlled. Quite pleasing.
Red
2019 John Duval Wines Plexus
Medium minus intensity aromas of blackberry and black pepper, a bit of liquorice joins on the palate, drying tannins close things down. Meh
Red
2019 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity
Very slightly reductive. A little sour note to the fruit; red currant over blackberry, spice. Juicy, alcohol warmth, chalky drying tannins. Nah.
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Red
2018 John Duval Wines Shiraz Eligo
Ripe, concentrated black fruit compote backed by polished oak, liquorice on the nose but the oak is rather intrusive on the palate. Time might help?
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Red
2019 Gibson Shiraz The Dirtman
Reductive, rubbery, blackberry with a very slight black pepper underpin, oak. Juicy blackberry and black pepper, a little too much oak, softly textured, quite lightweight.
Red
2018 Gibson Shiraz Reserve
Blackberry, a little red currant, a smidge of tomato leaf. Medium plus intensity acidity, it's a little dilute on the palate, softly textured tannins. Meh.
Red
2015 Gibson Shiraz Bin 65
Concentrated black fruit compote, blackberry, plum supported by polished oak. Juicy, ripe black fruits, slightly coarse chalky tannins are in support. Alcohol warmth intrudes a little too much for me on the finish but this is quite old school.
White
2020 Torbreck The Steading Blanc
Apricot with peach, bees wax. Juicy, fleshy, more of the same on the palate, waxy textured. Okay.
Red
2019 Torbreck The Steading
Medium minus intensity aromas of jubey raspberry, slight blackberry, pepper in the support. Chalky tannins over similar fruit to the nose, medium plus length. Hmm.
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Red
2019 Torbreck Shiraz The Struie
Blackberry, black pepper, clay, ripe but controlled. In the mouth it's equally ripe, rich but still with a little savoury underpin, tight chalky tannins. Long. Okay.
Red
2018 Torbreck The Factor
Cream, polished oak over black hued fruit, it's a little muted...perhaps smidge of cork strip here? I would have expected a bolder nose and palate. Hmm.
Red
2018 Peter Lehmann Shiraz The Barossan
Slightly reductive initially, rubber, black pepper, blackberry, smells quite 'wet'. Juicy, savoury, peppery notes lent by the alcohol warmth, jubey blackberry and chalky tannins travel long hand in hand, this is surprisingly good.
Red
2013 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Stonewell
Peppery, meaty, surprisingly savoury over reticent, concentrated black fruits, touches of black pepper. Juicy, touches of Ribena, blackberry, wetly juicy, chalky drying tannins but all feel separate from each other. It's a little bit out of whack for me. Hmm
Closing
A lot of fun, good to see some old chums out and about. A few winners here, a few dogs. Rather splendid.