3/2/2024 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

First of three, would say it is just entering the window with years left in the tank
Sublime length, fine structural tannin keeping everything tidy, dare I say it but quite Neb like
Sensational, cant wait to see where this goes, next one in 3 years or so

7/17/2021 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Just amazing
potential plus

6/8/2021 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

More elegance than power
oh the nose, could have spent days with my nose in this
just sublime

6/8/2021 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

fantastic, in the window, powerful and smooth, notes of menthol and licorice. Lovely

4/22/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Seemed massively over oaked to me

7/3/2020 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Believe the hype!

6/7/2020 - michael_cooke wrote:

Bit tired, drink up

6/7/2020 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Perfect cork
Still holding on strong
Tannins resolved
Smoke, bacon, capsicum
Just lovely
No rush, but don't see too much improvment from here.

8/16/2019 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Definitely the most structured of the three
Overt stalks, sour cherry
Needs time

8/2/2019 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Auction purchase - perfect cork
Decanted for around 1-2 hours prior
Heavy sediment.
Wow what a nose! Camphor, menthol, eucalpyt, tobacco, leather, burnt toffee, black licorice forever.
Tannins are still present but are beautifully integrated - structured & supple.
A big wine!
In the zone but potential for further development.

6/15/2019 - michael_cooke wrote:

Another class act
Structure & balance
Oak is prominent, needs some time to integrate.
Hold - 4-5 years, longer?

11/24/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Big, dark & dense.
A bit of heat on the finish which was distracting.
Oak still very prominent.
Has potential, needs more time - hold.

9/30/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Took two days to really open & shine.
But when it did, oh my!
Needs time but the potential is all there.

9/22/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Wooh! Just kept unfurling as the night went on.
Lovely perfume, I could smell it in the decanter from the other side of the room.
Tannins present but starting to soften suggesting it's entering it's window. But certainly no rush, plenty of upside.

9/22/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Dark & concentrated, slightly overripe?
Seemed lacking in acidity
Lots of oak?
Enjoyable with food but nothing spectacular

9/15/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Just lovely
Opened & evolved with time
Red fruits, fennel, fine tannins
Very approachable now but certainly no rush

7/2/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

A perfect bottle, still going strong.
Slight alcohol heat & the capsicum note did stand out.
But overall a lovely experience & possibly a little more to come.

6/28/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Clear, deep ruby
Clean, medium intensity. Violets, cassis, blackberry, black plum, olives, bay leaf.
Medium body, filled out with some time in the decanter.
Fine, dusty, persistent tannins.
Judicious use of oak, structured but certainly not overdone, elegant.
A lovely blend, just starting to develop some complexity.
Time will be kind, hold.

4/19/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Lovely & crisp
OK balance
Slight spritz
OMG these go down so easy

4/15/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Far too early.
Depth of flavour, textural, slippery.
Chocolate & coffee flavours to the fore.
Spices, cinnamon, white pepper, cardamon.
Intense but still elegant, complex.
Oodles of potential, hands off (for a long time)

4/15/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Wow, what a wine.
Day one had me wondering but over three days it just kept blossoming.
Wet slate, smoky campfire & ash, savoury.
Tannins are deceptively light at first but then they grab & assert themselves.
Mouth filling, long.
Lovely, glad I stocked up.
Excited to see how these develop.

4/15/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Wow, lovely wine. Elegance personified.
Gorgeous nose - cassis, pencil shavings, gravel, olives, bit of capsicum & eucalypt.
Black fruits, fine tannins, great length.
Certainly in the zone now but I think another 4-5 years will be beneficial.

4/8/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

My first experience with this cru
Lots of smoke, slate & wet stone
Took a few hours to unfurl & gain some weight
Deceptive tannins, seemed light at first but then held on & lingered.
A lovely wine, certainly potential for development.
Not as memorable as the Rivaggi for me though.

4/8/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Quite dark in appearance
Oak evident, overshadows the fruit somewhat.
Very chewy tannins.
Nice, & good value.

4/4/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Quite dark in appearance.
Rich, chewy - oak?
Nice drop but pretty forgettable.

4/4/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Lovely wine
Sleek, spicy.
Outstanding value.

4/4/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

As before, the nose promises the world & the palate is a let down.
Not bad but certainly not worthy of the asking price IMO
May gain some complexity with time but at this stage I can't see it.

4/4/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Dark, youthful
Quite rich, polished tannins.
Doesn't have the structure or acid to really grab me & say hey I'm a top tier WA cab.
Hope I'm wrong.
Not sure if it says more about the pricing for this particular wine or how good the value is for the lower tier reserve.

3/20/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Better than my previous bottle.
Lovely example of MR cab.
Right in the slot now.

3/20/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Day one I was not so convinced. Nice yes, but seemed somewhat thin & one dimensional.
Left for a couple of days & it had fleshed out beautifully.
Upside is definitely there but still not the best example of '15 Yarra for me. As with the estate though, there's no arguing with the value.

3/20/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Lovely & fresh & vibrant.
Great with food.
Went down oh so easy.

3/15/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Day one was all about the nose & the palate didn't quite live up to the promise.
Day three had fleshed out amazingly well.
Earth, meat, spice - cinnamon & cloves, cranberry.
Perfect balance, long, complex, savoury.
Amazing wine, big thumbs up.

3/10/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Nice, easy to drink.
Hints of cherry, leather, spices, tobacco.
Came up with air, will probably benefit from a few more years.

3/10/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Auction purchase - cork was soaked about halfway up but had done its job well.
Vanilla, coffee, tobacco, leather.
Good acid & tannic structure still.
A gorgeous wine - intense, complex & long.
Note to self - buy more Brunello!

3/10/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Loads of creamy oak, vanilla, coffee.
Opulent to the point of being over done. Rum & raisin chocolate, coffee. Underlying leafy note.
I guess time will do it's thing but this seemed a bit too syrupy & flabby for mine, not enough acid or structure. Certainly my expectations are high with this producer so that could have played a part. That & the comparison to a 2005 consumed recently that was sublime.
We will see.

3/7/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Very stinky on opening.
Oak dominant with faded fruit.
Fleshed out on day two into a reasonably nice cab blend.
Based on this bottle I'd say just on the downward slop, drink up.

3/3/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Fresh, crisp acidity.
Well balanced.
Struggled with the level of pepper!
Hopefully time will settle it down a bit.

3/2/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous notes
great wine, fantastic value
Hard to leave alone!

3/2/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Dark purple, youthful
Cassis, mint, black currant.
Medium bodied, tannins still grippy
Archetypal Coonawarra Cab
Will definitely benefit from more time but fantastic to drink now as well
Good stuff

2/25/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Clear, deep ruby
Red fruits, cherry, raspberry spices.
medium body / medium acid / low tannin
Fresh & fruity, easy to drink.

2/24/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Fresh, fruity.
Spice
Lovely wine, went down very easy.
A couple more years will be kind

2/24/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Deep dark purple, inky
Decanted 2-3 hours prior
Medium nose, dark chocolate, spices, boysenberry, leather
Dry, medium bodied, good acidity in perfect balance.
Well judged oak.
Red & blue fruits, raspberry.
Good length
Cracking wine with lots of upside. Hold!

2/24/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Dark purple, youthful
Pronounced nose of coffee, spices, Bonnox, stewed fruits
Medium bodied with good acidity, plums, cherries, black currants
Alcohol seemed somewhat out of balance at first but time in the decanter settled things down
Decent length

2/18/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Wow, what a cracker of a wine.
Deep dark purple, reflective. No bricking or fading.
Rich, powerful.
Cassis, currants, blueberry.
Oak integrating well, tannins still very evident but just starting to turn.
Certainly in a good spot right now, but try to hold off. Plenty of upside with patience. Hold 6-7 years.

2/18/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Dark ruby, youthful.
Oak still evident, cloves, spices, game.
Perfect balance.
Twigs, brambles, earth, game, long.
Needs more time, 3-4 years.

2/14/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Served slightly chilled
Savoury, spice, pepper, raspberry
Dry & bony with gentle tannin
Very nice

2/11/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine:

Opened 3-4 hours prior & decanted upon serving.
Quite dark in appearance
Herbs, menthol, roses
Red fruits, hints of anise, fennel, raspberry
Quite a full mouthfeel
Tannins seemed to recede with time & then re-appeared
Very very nice.
More approachable than the '12 for now.

2/11/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Dark appearance
Leather, herbs, cherry nose
Bitter cherry on the palate with a slightly hot medicinal finish
Quite soft, not a lot of tannic structure left.
Good with food, nothing special.
Drink now.

2/8/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Clear, pale ruby.
Crisp acidic line, cranberry, sour cherry, slight earthiness, twigs
Reasonable length, slight bitterness to the aftertaste
Still young but fell apart on day two suggesting a more short term prospect - 2-4 years.
Good value

2/2/2018 - michael_cooke wrote:

Twiggy, brambles, earthy element suggesting a fair bit of bunch inclusion
Sour cherry, cranberry
Opened up with time in the decanter but never really scaled any great heights
A bit short and washy for mine
Decent value I suppose but there is better out there