3/9/2021 - Nigel Davies Tas wrote:

Over two nights. Medium weight but still holding a deep cherry red colour. Intense flavours of cherry now well integrated with the oak and mouth-watering acidity - lovely. Still plenty of life left. I have had this wine at 20+ years and it is one of the few Tasmanian pinots that is built to age .

3/3/2021 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Second bottle of three (first drunk in 2015). Similar notes - medium weight, sweet fruit on front palate but nice sweet / savoury balance, fine and ripe tannins, very enjoyable.Softened since first bottle.

8/10/2019 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Lovely soft texture, mealy, minerally, green apple, nice acid balance, long finish.

2/9/2019 - Nigel Davies Tas wrote:

No. Mid-yellow colour. Tropical flavours. Like a quality Australian Chardonnay. Atypical for a GC Chablis. Drink up.

2/6/2019 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

First of four bottles (over three nights).
1. Noticeably reductive nose suppressing the fruit. Lovely texture, refreshing acid and prominent ripe tannins on the finish.
2. Reductive qualities less prominent on the second night and sour cherry flavours to the fore. Tannins softened and a lovely drink. Difficult not to go back for a second glass.
3. Reduction barely noticeable. Fruit seemed more subdued but still v. pleasant.
Give remaining bottles a few years and plenty of air.

11/11/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Golden colour suggests older than its 9 years.
Bouquet jumps out of the glass - citrus, grapefruit and, yes, the banana of a previous reviewer.
Lovely acid and minerality but too buttery and full-bodied for my idea of a grand cru Chablis (could have come from Australia), hence the lower score.

9/10/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Has plenty of that Amarone richness but the tannins not yet integrated. Softer on the second night so would probably have benefited from a couple of hours decanting.

8/5/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas wrote:

Only OK and not worth the $$. Cloudy, sharp on the finish and probably past its drinking window. Very much shaded by the accompanying Nicolas Potel 2000 Latricieres.

8/5/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

After a hard day digging in weeds and pruning the vines. Frere et Soeurs, so the negociant wine, rather than the estate, but the quality is still there. Thought the nose closed but the palate balanced and refreshing. Especially liked the structure.

7/25/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

At home. Offered my wife a glass of wine and she said white please, and anything but Chardonnay. Not having a Riesling, Sav Blanc or similar to hand I said how about a white burgundy? She loved the first glass, but by the second glass was asking is this chardonnay? I'm not generally a white wine drinker, but loved this bottle: oyster shell salinity, seamless blend of white peach and nuts, with a vibrant acidity.

7/18/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Pretty nose of cherries. Mid-weight balanced palate with more of the cherry stones. Quite firm with intense, flaring finish. Refined tannins. Those cherry stones are more sour than I would like, perhaps reflecting the low sugar levels of the vintage. A bit cool straight from the cellar in the Tasmanian winter and softened as it warmed up (no, we haven't invented central heating yet down here).

7/6/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas wrote:

Light, slightly watery colour. Pretty nose of red fruits and wet stone. Elegant palate but rather too elegant for my taste. Astringent finish.First of four, over two nights.

4/15/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

A very pleasant drink with all the elements one would expect from a classed growth Bordeaux in a great year. The tannins are still prominent, but plenty of fruit to support them as they soften over the next twenty years.

4/12/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

New Zealand syrah, Quite different from big, sweet South Australian shiraz and also different from cool climate Australian syrahs, such as Clonakilla. Complex floral nose and a cool, soft palate with notes of beetroot and rhubarb. Intense flavours. Fine unobtrusive tannins.
Kusuda is noted for using Japanese pickers to pick grape-by-grape in multiple passes through the vineyard. The wine is filtered but not fined.

4/3/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Not a bad wine from a damp vintage with a bit of rot. Deeper colour than your average burg, still on the primary fruits side of the flavour spectrum. Enjoyable but could probably do better for the price.

3/28/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Favourite Australian maker, whether it's Hilltops or the estate Shiraz Viognier at nearly three times the price. Deep red colour. Nose of soil and black fruits. Mid-weight palate, iron, blackberries, well balanced acid and tannin. Some astringency on the long finish. A bargain.

3/27/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

First of four bottles purchased this year (2 x '99 and 2 x '02). Very pleasant drinking. Some orange on the rim. Nose a bit closed. Juicy red fruits + some earthy qualities. No holes or sharp edges anywhere. Lovely balance and unobtrusive tannins.

3/20/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas wrote:

Having read the previous seven tasting notes I'm leaving a score and final comment until the end of the evening. The Lavaux is the last of half-a-dozen Mortets purchased in 2006 (and the Mes Cinq Terroirs provided some excellent drinking over a couple of years). First impressions matched the previous comments. Is this a Shiraz? Over-extracted. Rather hard.
Three hours later: hmm - still a big clumsy wine with an unfortunate (metallic?) note to the taste that I can't quite place.
Next day: as above.

2/25/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

What a lovely wine and what excellent value. Summer evening drink, intense red and black fruits with earth and herbs, mid-weight, balanced tannins and acid. Agree with earlier comment that it seemed a bit harder on the second night.

2/13/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas wrote:

Still a few sharp edges on this well-priced, easy-drinking Bourgogne. Medium-weight red fruits, velvety palate and refreshing acid with some drying tannins on the finish.

2/13/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Plenty of grip from the strong tannins that slightly overshadowed the dark, earthy fruits. Very enjoyable and a complete contrast to the sweet primary fruit of the excellent 2010 Meo-Camuzet Les Boudots drunk alongside it.

2/13/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Deep coloured and on the big side of a medium weight palate. Still primary cherry fruit and lots of it. Fine tannins not intrusive. A complete contrast to the 2006 Clos des Ducs drunk alongside it.

2/5/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Some orange on rim. High-toned nose. All components coming together nicely - nothing out of balance. Medium bodied, cherries, tannins softening nicely from a tannic year, moreish finish.

1/22/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Took my staff and partners out for Christmas dinner and the restaurant required a $3,000 minimum spend to open for the night. Ok. We hit $2,250 after Champagne, oysters, three courses and accompanying wines and there was a bottle of Hill of Grace on the list at $750. Why not? While not normally a fan of Australian Shiraz this really was fantastic. Huge and complex nose + refined palate that invited, demanded, a second glass. Very smooth. Result: several people acquired a completely new perspective on wine that evening.

1/21/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

A Cote Rotie drinker's Burgundy, but what's wrong with Cote Rotie? I did enjoy it. Big sultry nose, equally big meaty palate, lots of refined tannin and way too young.

1/19/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Old school Bordeaux from an OK but not great year. Still plenty of life left in it. Big nose - not much sign of blackcurrants, more animal / earth. Palate somewhat astringent, plenty of plum fruit and acid to balance assertive tannins.

1/12/2018 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

First of four bottles. Still a great value wine when compared with white Burgs. Intense nose, nervy and tightly wound palate. Grapefruit predominates. Refreshing acid with lasagna. Noted that Le Fevre now uses Diam composite corks (when did they change?) so no problems with cork taint.

6/14/2016 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

First of four bottles. Only 1800 made due to frost destroying 92% of crop. Impenetrable colour and long legs. Slight funky edge to cherry / raspberry nose. Balanced intense plum / cherry fruit and acid but both outweighed by massive tannins at present. Long finish. Keep rest until 2021+.

6/8/2016 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

First of 12 bottles purchased 2008 (and well done for waiting). Still too young! Nose a bit closed, opens to plummy characters with a touch of marzipan. Medium bodied. Medium+ intensity. Primary fruit on the palate. Lovely texture. Salivating acid. Prominent tannins not yet integrated. Wait a year or so for next bottle.

5/24/2016 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

First of three bottles, purchased at auction in 2009. Absolutely lovely. Sweet fruit, medium bodied, complex, cigar box and graphite secondary flavours, ripe integrated tannins, cool and long. Over two nights and equally good on second night.

5/9/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Drinking really well on a cold winter's evening. Sweet fresh blackberry fruit on front palate, soft texture, long finish, integrated tannins. Great value for $13.

5/7/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Nose of blackberries and prunes. Still deep colour with touch of white / orange / brown on rim. Palate on the big side of medium. Blackberries, leather, blood. Soft mouth feel balanced by some acid and still prominent tannins. Nice.

5/4/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Finally beginning to 'hit its straps' with those big '98 tannins beginning to soften and integrate. Couldn't call it elegant but it's not a jammy, chewy blockbuster either. Plenty of fruit to support years of development yet.

5/4/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Absolutely lovely. Sweet fruit but dry finish. Viscous mouth feel. Notes of orange peel. Quality Sauterne at a bargain price.

5/2/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Cool climate Tasmanian Shiraz made by someone with a track record for Pinot, and it shows in the wine; clean and fruity, elegant and light on the tannins.

4/28/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Always a pleasant drink, even in 'lesser' vintages such as this. Touch of orange on the rim. Nose rather closed, perhaps wine too cold on opening. Lovey intense palate, medium weight but a ton of tannin and a little too much acid for my taste. Long, long finish. Leave a while.

4/24/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Hint of orange on rim. Leathery Shiraz nose. Sweet fruit on front of palate (plums / blackberry - too sweet for my taste), touch of bitterness on finish. Plenty of refreshing acid. Restrained tannin. Nice texture - not too heavy. OK.

4/18/2014 - Nigel Davies Tas Likes this wine:

Last of three bottles. Lost some fruit compared with previous bottle (2010). Straw / light gold. Very smooth, lovely texture, grapefruit but losing it, some tannin still apparent, lingers on palate.