4/2/2022 - mphatic wrote:

Screwcap, 14% alc.
Deep red with minor bricking.

Dusty cupboard, plum, and eucalypt on the nose.

Much more red–fruited on the palate than the recent Dutschke St Jacobi. Malty, jubey, slightly ferrous. Even and balanced, this is a very tidy wine for the money. Pretty fruit softening. Acidic backbone and with resolved tannins.

Drink now. Aways impresses with its VFM.

4/2/2022 - mphatic wrote:

Screwcap, 14.8% alc.
inky red-black, opaque.

Aromas of cola, tar, blackberry, plum, nutty earth, and pan juices. Some alcohol fume.

Glossy, dense palate. Richly fruited with a lot of the tertiary complexity coming forward. Slippery in the mouth. Chalky tannins have softened considerably since the previous bottle. Alcohol isn’t obvious on the palate except for the glossy/slippery texture.
A delightful herbal, nutty, meaty aroma emerges with extended airing.

3/24/2022 - mphatic Likes this wine:

Screwcap, 14% alc.
Mid red-crimson. A large slab of sediment was evident on the side of the bottle.

Developed nose of graphite, pencils, pan juices, dusty wooden chest, star anise, cherry and blackberry.

Wonderful balance on the palate; glides across the tongue with gentle tannins, autumnal, weedy flavours and well-balanced acidity. Retains fruit sweetness
.
In a lovely spot. I may have formed an incorrect premature opinion about his ability to age.

3/20/2022 - mphatic wrote:

Screwcap, 12.5% alc.
Beautiful light salmon-pink.

Intense aromatics of raspberries, redcurrant, mulch, and a hint of passionfruit.

Light bodied, but intense flavour; not just fruity, but also with a flinty/earthy backdrop. Good drive and long finish for a Rosé. Chalky tannins; good grip and texture.

The label says chill for best effect. I’d say only chill if you don’t want to taste the fruit; just below room temperature brought out the most attractive aromatics that are not far from a proper light red.

3/16/2022 - mphatic Likes this wine:

Cork, 13.5% alc.
Cloudy mahogany red-brown. Tawny at rim. Crumbly cork.

A volatile nose of leather chair, cola, dill, grilled meat, cherry, and raspberry, stems, timber, smoke.

Round, creamy entry to the palate, then it tightens up. Very reduced on opening. Retaining significant chalky tannin. Starting to dry out and appearing a little thin compared with previous bottles. Reasonably long finish, and with persistent, bitter dill flavour on the aftertaste.

Opinion: even at this age, it needs quite a bit of air to express its full aromatics. Looking best on day three. Give it air! Excellent Aussie Pinot with great complexity and interest, with plenty of life left.

3/11/2022 - mphatic wrote:

Screwcap, 13.2% alc.
Dark and vibrant blood crimson.

Aromatic nose of liquid lead pencils, blackcurrant, a touch of beetroot and ripe capsicum, but not under-ripe. Nutty oak, redcurrant, wet rocks, chocolate.

Dusty tannic grip. Rather closed on the palate, with only shortish length. Pretty light, bodied and fruited. Smells sweeter and richer than it presents on the palate, where it is reasonably sour-fruited and austere. Different on day 2; more integrated and fleshed out.

Opinion: A nice drink. Guzzle-able. Could sit smelling this for hours!

3/9/2022 - mphatic wrote:

Screwcap, 13.5% alc.
Luxuriant and glossy, dark ruby colour. Youthful bright hue.

Some lavish oak initially on the nose but when digging deeper, earth, blackberry, baking spices, and raspberry emerge.

Acidity is a feature on the palate, while the tannins are very delicate and dusty, yet flood the mouth. A touch blocky; it doesn’t reveal its charms reluctantly. Good, but not great length. Finishes savoury and earthy yet still seems like it needs more time to open up. A strong white pepper note runs through the wine, that I initially confused with alcohol breathiness.

Opinion: Not entirely convincing; it fell apart after a couple of days open.

10/24/2023 - mphatic wrote:

At Calad’in Comptoir, Villefranche-sur-saone.

Medium ruby. Somewhat reticent on the nose. Graphite, iron filings, black cherry, subtle blackberry, gravel.

Medium bodied. Decent persistence, linear, fresh acidity. Chalky tannins. Clean. Enjoyable food wine, though nothing special.

10/25/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Showing some development, with some meaty notes, oak, earth and mineral, more tannic than the Brouilly. Decent food wine.

Slight carbonic note, but combined with the meatiness it adds to the complexity of what would otherwise be a simple wine. Went well with Maccas!

10/25/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Tasting at Hameau Duboeuf. No formal notes.
Fruity and earthy, decent structure.

10/25/2023 - mphatic Likes this wine:

Tasting at Hameau Duboeuf. No formal notes.

Surprisingly fruity, Chardonnay. Citrus, almost off dry at first before tightening up. Surprisingly enjoyable.

1/6/2024 - mphatic wrote:

7.5% alc. Screwcap. AP3309.
At Bargara.
Putting on a bit of colour now; into the deep gold spectrum.

Toast, citrus peel, lime, petrol, hone, and apple on the nose.

Almost a light spritz upon pouring, a feeling that is accentuated by the firm acidity upon entry to the palate. Rich for a 2008 Kabinett, and Medium bodied, with a moderate length finish with a gentle off-dry twist at the end.

Based on colour and flavour development, I’d say drink now-ish. Enjoyable aged Kabinett, without the fireworks. While it has developed, it hasn’t necessarily gained a great deal of complexity.

1/4/2024 - mphatic Likes this wine:

Screwcap.
At Bargara.

Intoxicating nose. Not overdone in any way, yet full of black fruit, deep nutty oak, a hint of iodine.

Controlled palate, almost to the point of being elegant, which is a feat for a McLaren vale Shiraz. Juicy berries, medium bodied, with drying fine tannin. It’s all front and mid palate atm.

Looked best on day 4. More red-fruited (raspberry) flavour on palate and fleshed out.

1/3/2024 - mphatic Likes this wine:

14.5% alc. Screwcap.
At Bargara.
Bright light-medium yellow, youthful.

Pear, citrus peel, Cashew, woody oak on nose. A little marzipan top note.

Powerful, ripe palate. Lots of flavour. Kept in check by balanced acid. Alcohol can be felt, mainly as a glycerol like texture but it’s not obtrusive. Medium length.

A richly flavoured wine, in its drinking window, but not falling apart any time soon.

1/18/2024 - mphatic wrote:

No formal notes.
Redcurrant, Sous bois, delicate cola. Nutty oak. Fine grained tannin, with some masculine grip. Mellow fruited palate, a little underdone, and perhaps starting to dry out. Decent length finish.

1/18/2024 - mphatic wrote:

Quick tasting at Wineology. No formal notes.
Simple, yet engaging Burgundy. Meaty notes with crisp red cranberry fruit.

1/18/2024 - mphatic wrote:

Quick tasting at Wineology. No formal notes.
Youthful and a little heavy on the oak relative to the fruit. Drying tannins. Blackcurrant, leafy, in need of time.

1/18/2024 - mphatic Likes this wine:

Quick tasting at Wineology. No formal notes.
Fragrant and classic Barolo nose. Some oak present but not overdone. Palate shows some softening of tannins, some tertiary flavours. All quite nice.

1/18/2024 - mphatic wrote:

Quick tasting at Wineology. No formal notes.
Liquid Star anise! A little light and lacking in depth. Maybe time will help.

1/18/2024 - mphatic wrote:

Quick tasting at Wineology. No formal notes.
No notes taken, but I enjoyed this. Not as heavily oaked as I was expecting.

1/18/2024 - mphatic wrote:

Quick tasting at Wineology. No formal notes.
Not the greatest Grosset Polish Hill. Nothing wrong with it just lacking some zip and sparkle and depth.

3/2/2024 - mphatic wrote:

Krondorf. 14.5%alc. S/c.
No formal notes. Pale ruby. Sweet fruited; dusty, raspberry.
Sour edged fruit on palate. Starting to thin out. In drink-now zone.

3/2/2024 - mphatic wrote:

8.0% alc. Cork. AP1009
Pale-Medium yellow/ gold.
Delicate aromas of peach and mango, citrus, some yeasty aromas. A hint of passion fruit.
Beautiful controlled palate. Ripe fruited, but the acidity is appropriate. Green tea. Drinking nicely but could do with a few more years to eat away at the sweetness a bit more.

3/2/2024 - mphatic Likes this wine:

AP 0209
7.5% alc. Cork.
No formal notes. Dark colour. Tight, vibrant. In a good place but can handle another decade in cellar. Lovely Kabinett.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Very bright colour. Deep and dense. Richly fruited to point of being almost sweet on palate.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Aromatically fruity. Tight and grippy tannins.
Very nice structured gsm

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Darker fruited than kin Shiraz. But also some jubey fruity flavours. Tighter tannin structure. Sweet fruited but balanced. Nice wine.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Bright and sweet fruity nose. Grippy palate of only moderate power.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Powerful concentrated aroma. Densely fruited palate. But it has grip and balance. Not a bad wine.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Sweet fruited with some surprising bright pastille notes. Nicely balanced structure.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Bright, refreshing fruity style. Good for drinking now. Deceptive tannins.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Brightly perfumed but with a dark inky edge. Much more oak showing. Surprisingly refined and balanced on the palate. Long supple finish. Deceptive tannins that appear to be absent until right on the finish. Drinkable now in a bigger style.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Much deeper and richer than the Charlie’s; more inky and dense. Yet not heavy; quite balanced.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Pretty and perfumed bright fruited nose. Overtly fruity grapey edge on palate. Is there oak here? Fine tannins. Moderate length finish. Quite pretty actually. A surprise packet, but value is questionable at 65.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Deep, powerful and inky Shiraz. Some drying grip on the palate, and not overly fruity. Almost meaty. Seems slightly closed down.

5/27/2023 - mphatic Likes this wine:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Tight and dusty nose; a bit closed. Gentle and refined palate. Nice tannic grip. Balanced. Not overt in any way; more old school style. Can see the contributions of both varieties, but neither really sticks out. Very enjoyable. Sure to age beautifully and develop interesting complexity as opposed to many of the overt Shiraz tasted today.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Inky and powerful Shiraz. Very Powerful dark fruit palate. Almost spiritous and with lots of resinous oak.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Almost inky black. Intense palate of extracted sweet fruit and oak. A little hot and pushed slightly too far. Impressive wine, for drinking now. Not sure how these huge styles are going to age.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Dark and vibrant colour. Intensely ripe and fruity nose. Some meatiness. Oak coming thorough on paalte, that is surprisingly much less overt than the nose. Chewy tannins and refreshing acidity. Long finish. Impressive in a bigger style.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Deep and inky. Concentrated palate very intense and almost over ripe. Too much at this age. Needs time to take the ripe fruit. Plenty of grippy tannins there in support, so it probably has time on its side.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Intensely fruity. Deeper side of grenache, pushed further along ripeness. But not too far. Shiraz component definitely shows through providing the weight. Very sessionable.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Under cork. Inky. Really ripe and concentrated fruit. Crushed ants on background. Strong oak that is in balance with the intense fruit. Tannins are subsumed by the fruit, but appear on the finish, pulling the overt concentration into line. Buy.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Deep and darkly spicy. Oak showing on nose. Wall of flavour that need more time to unfurl and become more expressive. Nice balance and in a good place for development.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Dark and spicy. Well balanced palate showing more bright fruit than the nose portrays. Very enjoyable. Buy for drinking now.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Grenache. Bright and vibrant. Juicy and fruity but not overtly. Pretty well balanced. For drinking now.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Brooding and perfumed nose. Needs time. Combination of power and weightlessness on the palate. Finishes a little short, with a drying sensation.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Deep and refined nose. Well balanced palate. Nothing stands out, just the purity of the wine. Long finish chewy tannins. Worthy of buying for drinking in short term while it remains lively and fresh

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Fruity.Jubey flavours. Delicious and easy to drink. Delicate with some spice on the end. Hard to see value at 60 however.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Deep fruited perfumed with some nuttiness. Crushed ants. Not as overt as blonde; more refined. But beautiful. Long delicate finish. Buy.

5/27/2023 - mphatic wrote:

Barossa be consumed 2022 (Brisbane): Inky Color. Meaty and oaky nose. Deep overt flavours. Chewy tannins and long finish.