7/8/2023 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Decantered and left to breath for an hour or so, the wine had a good nose showing lingering fruit and tertiary notes. This was reflected on the palette, dark fruit and earthy notes. Drinking very well now.

1/16/2023 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Delicious dark and juicy dark fruits, savoury through the middle and goid finish. Fine tannins enhance the wine and provide balance. Drinking very well now.

7/9/2022 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

A nose of truffles and soil, garnet in colour this wine follows through with the promising pinot nose on the palette as well as a little fruit. It is a fairly light bodied wine and has a medium finish. De Salis released this vintage in 2022 as a museum release.

12/27/2021 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Needs 2 to 3 hours in the decanter to fully express itself. Awesome wine, lots of fruit and well balanced.

8/10/2021 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

In the decanter for between half an hour to an hour before drinking. It was bright and lively on the nose, and this continued thought the palate.

Vibrant plum characteristics, light and bright tannin with a silky texture. Medium to light body and finish.

Overall a delicious glass of wine, drinking perfectly now.

7/7/2021 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Good fruit, dark and juicy, balanced well with nice tannin. Great body, good length and drinking well now. We decanted for an hour before drinking and were well rewarded.

1/4/2021 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Our last bottle of this has been a good one.
Dark fruit and earthy notes on the nose, velvety, luscious and rich onnthe palate. Full of deep purple fruit, but well balanced with some deep savoury notes to balance. A lovely long mouth feel. Drink now or in the next couple of years.

12/27/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

A lovely chardonnay, very characteristic, with deep buttery flavours, well balanced by a nice crisp acid. Fresh peachy stone fruits shine through. Medium length. Drink now.

11/12/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

This wine was delicious. Fruit forward, with deep, dark fruits, and an almost licorice-like intensity. Well balanced for this lighter style. A medium length finish with a delicious, luxurious mouth feel. Drink now.

9/5/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

The years have been good for this sticky. Stored in random and sometimes adverse conditions, this wine has stood up very well. Treacle on the nose with lifted lychee. Unctuous, silky smooth and spicy mouth feel. The sweet treacle nose is reflected in the palate with spicy oak and light fruit in tbe background. Very long finish. Awesome Australian sticky.

8/26/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Wonderful fragrant nose full of ripe cherry and luscious plum. This is a well balanced wine; fruits are just right amongst acid and diffused tannins. A lovely long finish completes it.

We had decanted this for an hour before drinking. Might give it another six months before trying our next one of these.

8/22/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Perfumed nose, delightful purple fruits. Wonderful astringency and saturated savoury notes match well to the full mouth feel. There is a long lingering finish, full of those deep, luxurious fruits. The whole wine is so well balanced, it's a pleasure to drink.

We had this in the decanter for about an hour before drinking, which was about right. This will go another few years if needed but I like the freshness of the fruit, and depth of flavour it provides.

8/20/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Delightful, spicy and fruit forward. This wine has it all. Full bodied, savoury, wonderful bitterness and good astringency. Its very well balanced, and drinks beautifully. An hour or or in the decanter helps it to open up. Drinking well now.

8/18/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Had in the decanter for around an hour. Fresh blackcurrant on the nose. Well balanced, luscious mouth feel creating a luxurious feel with the fragrant nose. Medium bodied and medium finish feels like a sophisticated wine, drinking in its prime.

8/7/2020 - gherkinhammer wrote:

This is a huge wine, big brassy flavours and still full of fruit. At 16% this is unsurprising! Despite this, the balance is really good. We had this in the decanter for about 2 hours before drinking and it definitely needed that.

8/6/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Had this in the decanter for about an hour before drinking. I think it was needed.

Classic Barossa shiraz on the nose, juicy and bright fruits. Balance slightly out on the palate, big tannins, not enough acid or fruit, and finish slightly short.

8/5/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Vibrant, fresh red plums and cherries. Nice diffused tannins across the mid palate. Good acid. Finish is a tad short.

Drink now. We decanted for about 45 minutes before drinking.

8/1/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Decanted for about one hour before drinking and it was worth the wait. Full bodied, fruit forward and a good balance of woody notes. This wine initially had us a bit confused as it had the nose of a cab sav but on the taste, was more shiraz. It drinks absolutely deliciously though, and would definitely recommend.

8/1/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Not our normal type of wine - sweet and sparkling. However, this is absolutely delicious blended with berries to make a slushie cocktail. I love that at 6.5% it is low alcohol and great for designated drivers.

6/19/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Quite a bit of time in the decanter, the last glass poured after 5 hours. Subtle but fragrant fruit, spicy and red fruit on the nose. This continues through to the palate, with cherry and peppery notes joining the party. Quite bitter and contrained initially, a bit green, but this faded over time. Generally light, but with enough weight to remind you of the shiraz. A very good wine with huge potential to age. I'll be putting this one in the back of the cellar for a few years.

6/2/2020 - gherkinhammer wrote:

This is an interesting wine at 9 years old. It's probably past it's best to be honest, but there is acid and tannin remaining. It is not an appealing looking wine, a rather dull garnet colour. The nose is green capsicum with hints of red fruit, a hint of strawberry perhaps. The palate is all sharp angles and spiky, bitter with a bit of old fruit lingering and a decent finish. Drink now, or two years ago.

4/21/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Delicious example of a hunter shiraz. Drinking really well now, we enjoyed it after an hour in the decanter.

3/25/2020 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Bright and deep purple. A couple of hours in the decanter, the bouquet opened up to reveal dark rich fruit, which is reflected in the palate. A bit of acid, some nice tannin and a medium finish. This wine is drinking well.

1/19/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Light and fresh, this has lovely savoury and peppery notes; mouth feel is very light, and it is drying with a nice astringency.

Drink now and with food - Barbecue, Mexican or Spanish!

1/11/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Opened up in the decanter, though dont leave for too long, 30 minutes will suffice.

Lots of purple fruits and spicy notes. Well balanced; nice light weight wine, with a good length finish, very good example of a Mornington Peninsula style.

I think this is drinking well now, too much more time and I think the fruits will deteriorate.

1/4/2020 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Light, bright wine, very fresh and a pleasant finish. It benefits from an hour or so in the decanter, and is a good value wine.

1/3/2020 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Firmly in the sticky basket, this is a lovely dark umber colour, and has strong notes of caramelised pears. It's got some nice tartness, by way of tropical fruits, to balance out the sweetness. Mouth feel is definitely viscous, finish is medium length. Fairly typical of this style.

1/3/2020 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Despite its age, this wine has a freshness about it. Nice light fruits, strawberries and cherries. Good tannins across the mid palate, with a good medium finish and a nice medium weight to the wine.

Benefits from some time in the decanter - we drank after 30 minutes. Any more and I think the wine loses too much of its fresh appeal.

Definitely in its drinking window now, I'd drink up in the next 6 to 12 months.

12/16/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Inky black wine, blackberry and blackberry leaf on the nose. The palate is fresh and clean and fruit forward, surprisingly so considering its age. Black fruit dominates, although there is a subtle undercurrent of tabacco that lingers long after the long fruity finish has drifted away. Drinking very well now.

12/7/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

This has improved with a year or so of cellaring. Dark fruits are prominent, lovely long finish, lots of acid and overall an excellent example of a montepulciano.

12/5/2019 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Moments of what it could have been - this one needs to be drunk young and fresh.

12/7/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

In the decanter for about 2 hours, and it was required. Early notes were heady with vanilla and suppressed fruit.

Cassis, leather and vanilla are prevalent, the texture is velvety with full mouth feel and grippy tannins; there is a medium to long finish with dark cherries and lingering notes of oak. A touch of acid remains; I'd say this is in its drinking window now.

11/30/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

In the decanter for two hours when we started drinking, and it was certainly required, it opened up remarkably. Dark fruit, leathers and earthiness, this wine was sensational drinking. Lots of intensity, full mouth feel, long finish, it's a big wine, but really well balanced. In my view, this is in the prime drinking window now.

11/30/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Drank without decanting. Bright and vibrant purple fruits, lots of fresh plums and cherries. Good texture, a big mouth feel and a long lingering finish. Mild acid and tannin, but well balanced to the fruit. Drinking well now, and great value at this price point.

11/29/2019 - gherkinhammer Does not like this wine:

Opaque, bright purple wine. Nose, palate and finish all dominated by massive oak, very little fruit, oddly sweet and a cloying vanilla aftertaste.

11/20/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours prior to drinking, and that was about right. Lots of delicious inky black fruit, smooth, lovely texture, long finish. It's definitely in it's drinking window.

11/18/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

In the decanter for nearly two hours and was drinking perfectly. All the best of a Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon, without too much of the mint or vegetal notes. Deliciously fruit forward with a medium length finish, this is a nicely balanced wine, drinking well now.

10/30/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Rich, full, fruity nose. Mouth-wateringly decadent flavours - strawberries, ripe and fresh, deep and intense. Full mouth feel with a medium finish. Good balance of fruit, acid and tannin.

Decant for an hour or so before drinking for best results.

10/25/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Lovely savoury, spicy wine, with a nice medium body and a long finish. Drink now and enjoy! Good value for this price point, especially for a pinot!

10/19/2019 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Kerosene dominant on the nose, with light citrus underlying. This carried through to the palette, although the fruit was barely discernable and it was a bit flat through the middle. Strange to have this much petroleum dominant in such a young wine, and unfortunately other aged characteristics to balance this are absent. The wine has a nice, lucious mouth feel and a medium finish.

10/17/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Very easy drinking, fruit forward wine. Dark and intense fruits, almost jammy, dominate everything, but there is a softening with some good oak treatment in the back palate. Slightly hot on the alcohol, even after 2 hours in the decanter.

Drinks really nicely, but just don't think it delivers on value for this price point.

10/14/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Lots of fresh juicy fruit; dark and intense. Good weight, light tannic hit, medium finish.

Drinking well now.

10/13/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Beautiful perfumed nose full of bright red cherries.

Lovely, well balanced wine, with plenty of fruit, deepened with hints of oaking. Medium weight wine, with a nice length in the finish, this wine really delivers.

We drank our first glass straight after decanting, and it was wonderful. It rounded out over the next hour, but only gained from the breathing. Drinking well now or within the next 2 years.

5/12/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours prior to drinking. Violet, fruit forward nose. Great depth. Full bodied, long finish, delicious fruit driven with nice balancing acid, and deepening notes of leather.
Drinking well now to 2 years.

5/2/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour before drinking. Lovely fragrant nose, with beautiful red fruits. A good balance between fruit, tannin and acid. Medium weight, nice finish. Drinking really well now.

4/20/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Lovely perfumed nose, well balanced throughout, medium weight but feels heftier with the dark, juicy fruits. Drinking well now.

4/19/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Lovely wine, a bit short on the finish.

1/7/2019 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Three hours in the decanter before drinking. Deep purple, slightly hot nose mellowing to subtle dark fruit and earthy and tobacco notes. These follow through on the palate which shows some mellow tannin and light acidity. The dark fruit is soft but apparent and the earthy and tobacco notes are very nicely balanced. An excellent wine drinking well now but has a year or two left in the window.

10/23/2018 - gherkinhammer Likes this wine:

Opened and left in the bottle for about an hour before drinking.

Light, garnet and a little cloudy, the wine has a fragrant nose, strawberries with earthy and leathery overtones.

The wine is lightweight, with good acid, nice red fruits and a medium long finish. Not sure these are in perfect balance.

Drink now, I think.

10/1/2018 - gherkinhammer wrote:

Star bright, relatively deep hue of transparent pinky red. Strawberries dominate the nose, with floral undertones. No acid, no structure and very soft and light with sweet red fruit notes. A slight bitterness in the mid palette, although this nicely balances the sweet fruit. Short finish, but overall a very drinkable rosé. Drink fresh.