11/18/2023 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Lovely aromats with trademark cool climate spices and white pepper.
The palate is medium weight but is a bit lean on fruit, the lovely nose does not really translate to the palate. Some cloves, raspberry, red fruited, menthol with mild oak treatment, but it finishes a touch flat.

7/16/2023 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

It is really starting to hit its straps now and has opened up beautifully. Lovely concentrated fruits, spice notes from the Mataro. Very balanced wine, with the slight hint of tannin with superb length on the finish. An excellent bottle.
It requires a good decant, it has a very heavy sediment/crust.

7/5/2023 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

This has evolved a bit since the last time I tried it.
Just starting to show some aged characteristics and just starting to get some brown tinges on the edge of the glass.
Still has its trademark spice, red fruits etc. A lovely drink with a bit of tannic grip still on the long finish.
Definitely needs a decant given the amount of sediment.

6/12/2023 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

From climate controlled storage. Decanted and poured.
Very youthful looking in both colour and flavour. It is rich in structure with Plums, dark cherries, raspberries, pepper, with rich/ripe tannins and length to burn. I'd easy give this another 10 or so years, excellent now, with more aging should be exceptional.

4/13/2023 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

A bit of aeration and into a decanter. Notably really approachable from the first sip. Very much medium bodied. Its a lovely blend, with cabernet nuances with some malbec 'jubiness' coming through too. Elegant in style and balance, very good length with a touch of drying tannins. Trademark Wendouree stylistic oak and spice, and some rustic notes. Interesting the colour is just starting to brown on the edges in the glass, but still feels youthful; I feel it lacks the structure for the real long haul, but overall drinking really well.

10/30/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour prior to serving.

Really brief notes/impressions: Medium bodied, beautiful fruit, earthiness, touch of gum leaf, cassis like with well balanced oak giving a slight cedar note. Structurally, a bit of acid going on, with drying tannins on a long finish, but nothing 'searing'. It feels lighter on the palate in a good way, Barolo like. Quite drinkable and approachable now in its youth but come back in 5-10 years.

One word: 'lovely'.

9/15/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

This is coming along nicely, just starting to soften out. Medium+ bodied. Ripe dark fruits, cassis, menthol and dark chocolate, supported by the savouriness of french oak. Very good depth of flavour and mouth feel - a bit of acidity lurking there, but otherwise a very good drink. No rush on these at all.

9/11/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Drinking very nicely at the moment. It feels a bit more rounded out and balanced than on my first tasting. Lovely fruit on the palate, with the rustic / spiciness of the mataro present, but some plum and bluer type fruits indicate a good % of shiraz? Not sure. Either way, it works nicely with a nice long finish with a soft tannin structure.
I really enjoyed it, based on current form - drink over the next 10 years, but I wouldn't expect it to be a long term prospect.

9/4/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

I was expecting something a bit lighter in style, but this was more on the medium/medium+ bodied style.

Plenty of lush, ripe fruits at the core of the wine. Plums, clove, dried herbs, touch of graphite, licorice nuances, supported by a touch of oak. Lots of drying tannins on the finish.

Overall, it comes up quite short on the finish, then you get the drying effect from the tannins, not thrilling at this stage - it feels a bit unbalanced, or unfinished. 13.9% alcohol per the label.

7/31/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

In one word, stunning.

The nose is beautifully perfumed, with spice notes, raspberry, red berries, florals.

The palate is medium bodied delivering a spectrum of flavours from raspberry, black jubey pastilles, darker red berries and Wendouree's trademark spice from the oak profile.

The structure is there for the wine to develop into something special, nice acidity and ripe tannins, that give it more of purr than grip on the finish. The wine is beautifully balanced, with lovely fruit ripeness, judicially supported by the oak. Noting its 13.5% alc. Its medium bodied palate delivers a lovely experience for such a young wine.

I drank this over 2 x nights and it was superb. I am not going to rate it now, the hallmarks are there for a stunning wine in a 10-15 year (probably longer) window I would suggest. Squirrel this away and share sparingly.

7/10/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

After a disappointing 2017 Simpatico, I checked in on the one and only of the Symphony I have left from 2017. On opening it was much more promising than the Simpatico, it has a good depth of flavour compared to the Simpatico. A fair bit of oak dominating the palate & nose, the fruit is in there; blackberry, dark fruits, touch of plum, but its a tad 'thin' in structure, could say 'elegant'. A slight bit of tannin on the finish. Per previous notes, this is showing more maturity than a wine of this calibre you'd expect (vintage variation I suspect in play). I would drink these over the next 5-7 years. Give it a good decant prior.

7/4/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Lemon, very light honey nuance, citrus blossom, wet stone, slight brine/salty note, lemon pith on the finish. Very good palate weight sensing the fruit sweetness is starting to show as the acidity softens. Slightly hollow/light on the finish, just didn't give the long finish I was expecting. A good wine, I think it needs another 5+ years at least to be in its drinking window.

6/26/2022 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Layers of black fruits, white pepper, spice. Lovely body and palate weight. Just enough development to soften and round it out. Length to burn. Top Stuff

6/19/2022 - Matt@5453 wrote:

On opening it seemed far more developed than you would expect for a reasonably touted/lauded wine. Probably exhibiting the wet year, the wine is thin and hollow. Fair bit of oak dominating the nose and palate. Some cinnamon, nutmeg, black fruits, but with a slight sourness, lacking any fruit drive. Nothing like the 2015 or 2016 vintages of the same wine. Disappointing.

12/28/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this. Seemed to be a quite harmonious wine, with the core of deep ripe fruit balanced with complimentary oak, with a a touch of acid lingering. Tannins were soft and plush on a reasonably long finish. Hard to compare say to a Coonawarra wine, this wine has just a 'different' profile, more on the riper, fuller bodied style. Another 2-3 years wouldn't hurt it, but enjoyment to be had now.

12/5/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

A lot to like about this one. Still very primary, but starting to soften. Nice complexity. I would happily leave this for another 7-10 years.

11/20/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Decanted early in the day, then a double decant prior to service. A fair of sediment. Medium to full bodied. Beautifully ripe blackcurrants, jubey/pastille like, nuances of eucalypt, graphite, violets, menthol, dried herbs, all wrapped up nicely with subtle french oak tones. Bright acidity and a bit of tannic grip, on a long finish. Lovely stuff.

10/5/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

A unique blend of Clare Valley Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon. Opened and decanted 3 hours prior to service. There was immediate enjoyment with cassis/black currant, jubes, violets, dark chocolate, some cigar box and a touch of cedar. The wine has softened out nicely with the acid, tannin and oak all playing a supporting role to the lovely fruit. The structure, balance and length are superb. An excellent wine, that will continue to evolve (under screw cap) for the next 10-15 years if not longer.

9/7/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

medium/full bodied lovely fruit - blackberry, ripe raspberries, charry oak nuances, dried herbs, a purr of tannin. Easy drinking. Excellent Value at $20.

8/29/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

When I picked up my order they indicated that the 2019 Cab/Malbec was one of the most ‘complex’ wines of the new releases and 'will need some time'. I decided to open one to see how it looks.

I decanted into a large open decanter 4 hours prior to initial taste – lovely, perfumed nose. The palate is medium/full bodied and really did not show a lot first up, with very little Cabernet varietal notes but there were pretty aggressive tannins. Over the next 24 hours, the wine continued to open showing subtle cassis notes, graphite, iron, blackish type fruits, French oak spice, menthol, and gum leaf. It left me feeling the Malbec was playing a more dominant role at this stage. It’s structured for the long haul, plenty of acid and again those tannins lingering on the finish. I suspect the wine would have definitely continued to evolve over another 24 hours if I left it that long. Intriguing now but based on this sample, under screw cap, will last decades.

8/15/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Lovely blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot & Cabernet Franc. It is relatively mature for its age, with the varieties working well with lovely ripe fruits with cassis and graphite, with deft touch French oak influence binding altogether, with soft ripe tannins on a long 'plush' finish. I think it is showing the effects of a wet lead into 2017 and will be a shorter term proposition. I tried the 2018 recently, it was tight as a drum with plenty of tannin, a stark contrast to this wine.

8/15/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

2nd Bottle of this. Decanted for about 1.5 hours. It feels really ripe in flavour with a fair whack of vanilla oak. The mataro tends to dominate with its earthy, brambly, spice notes. There is some good tannic grip on the finish. I left over night and came back to it the next evening - the wine was a bit more balanced out and harmonious, with the varieties complementing each other a bit better. I did not enjoy this as much as the first one.

8/1/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Lovely balance and length, with beautiful fruit drive. Consumed over 2 days and was simply lovely. "5 years young" this has the hall marks to continue to develop for another 10 years. Best to decant for a couple of hours before hand.

7/4/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Decanted into a large decanter ~6 hours prior to service, resisted tasting it on opening.

A tad more than Medium bodied, with seductive and deeply rich full flavoured fruit; black berry, plums, a touch of prune, with a touch of menthol on the finish. Lovely balanced french oak with some vanilla, cream and spice works harmoniously with the fruit. Fine tannins linger on a long finish. Overall, the balance of the wine is impeccable. Plenty of time on its side. One of the better younger Wendouree experiences I have had.

6/20/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

First thing I detected was mint. Not a big fan of it. Structurally the wine is very good, plenty of tannin and acidity. This would easily go another 10 years under screw cap. Nice with a rich pasta dish.

6/20/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Brief note.
Decanted and drank over 2 days. Initially plenty of oak on the nose, but subdues with greater air time. Layers of rich fruit with a long lingering finish on a pretty full bodied palate. Definitely in its youth, and will reward cellar time. Overall, very enjoyable.

6/20/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Perfumed, rich, great depth of flavour, with its trademark layers of cool climate spice. This is a richer and deeper flavoured wine than the recent 2019 release. The finish on this stunning. I wish I had of bought more of this - a beautiful wine. Give this another 3-4 years and it will be singing.

6/14/2021 - Matt@5453 wrote:

Decanted and let sit for a couple of hours.

The nose through to the palate is super enjoyable. The structure and balance is very good, in all, its starting to soften up, with the tannin and oak starting to fade. The palate is packed with deep and rich cassis, black currant, some dark chocolate, with some ever slight smoky/charred oak notes on the finish. There is some acid and grippy/drying tannin on the finish, but overall a lovely long finish. Based on this, I think in another 5-10 years it should be in a really good spot, but certainly lovely now.

5/16/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Drank over 2 days, definitely opened up to show better form on day 2 where the fruit blossomed a bit more, showing a greater depth of flavour. Plenty of acid and tannin to carry this wine. Plenty of life left in the tank.

5/16/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Last of 2 bottles. After a couple of years in the cellar the wine has mellowed out now, showing a soft palate of red cherries, crushed strawberries with a rusty iron type note. In all quite a simple wine but very tasty with a roast.

5/2/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour, noting it presented a heavy crust.

From the outset, the nose was outstanding and the palate delivering a mouth watering experience.

Medium to full bodied it displayed blackcurrants/cassis, olive tapenade, violets, french oak spice, with beautifully ripe tannins on a long finish. The wine is very balanced with a rich and deep flavoured palate. Probably one of the best wines Kirrihill have made in my mind, an excellent wine.

4/22/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Drinking very well. Layers of spice with red raspberry liquorice. A long finish with some tannic grip right at the end. Should continue to improve, no rush to drink these up. Sadly my last bottle.

4/22/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

lovely wine, with great structure with very good aging/cellaring potential.

4/18/2021 - Matt@5453 wrote:

This was a disappointment. Purchased ex Cellar Door and stored in very good conditions. Opened it Friday night, was very tightly wound initially, with a fair bit of 'vibrant' acid. I put 2/3 of bottle in the wine fridge over night and came back to it the next day - the wine had completely fallen over and was undrinkable. You win some and sometimes you lose one.

4/11/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Brief Impressions: medium to full bodied, starting to show some lovely mature characteristics, with the acid and tannins having softened. Great and generous fruit weight, with a lovely mouthfeel and finish. I think its best days are in the next 5-7 years.

4/11/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Brief Impressions: medium/full bodied, good weight, plum, blueberries, spice touch of licorice root supported by 'charry' oak with good acidity. Certainly recommend to decant and give it some air, it definitely continued to improve. A very well made and structured wine, I was expecting a bit of a heavy weight 'monster', pleasantly surprised, its more on the medium bodied spectrum. Dinner guests loved it more than me, but still a good drinking wine.

3/3/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour before consumption. Very tightly wound initially, it slowly started to open up a bit more over the ensuing hours. Very youthful still, primary fruits on display; Cassis, tabacco leaf, with nice spice tones from the French oak. The tannins have softened since I last tried it, but still a bit firm on the finish. Still showing good acidity. A nice finish with a touch of menthol. Overall I feel it is a 'young' wine still, given good storage conditions and screw cap – I think its best years will be drinking from 15-20 years of age.

2/21/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely now for my tastes. Still very youthful, with the fruit and acid coming into better balance. Sweetish lemon/lime fruits with some chalky/talc notes adding complexity, the acid is zingy and refreshing. I like my Rieslings younger and fresher, and this is all that. Lovely.

2/14/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

An excellent and under-rated Pinot. I tried this initially on release at the cellar door and it showed some good structure for cellaring at the time; my bet paid off. Drinking beautifully now with dark berries, crushed strawberries, earthy tones, spice - with excellent length. Just a purr of tannin on the finish. Should continue to drink well over the next 5 years.

2/6/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

It has a lighter/medium body, with red fruits, white pepper, spice, deli meats and a savoury/earthy tone to it. Lovely use of french oak. A very well balanced with a long lingering finish. Drink over the next 10 years. A fantastic wine. Best to decant for at least a couple of hours to show its best.

2/5/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Definitely benefited with a bit of air time, opening up to show some development; tannins and fruit have softened, with lovely french oak spice. A very good expression of shiraz, medium/full bodied without being overripe or jammy, lovely balance. The use of french oak rounds out what is a pretty impressive wine. For my tastes, I wouldn't keep any longer, but if you like a more a mature wine has enough acidity and tannin to aid its aging in the cellar.

2/1/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Beautiful fruit with zesty Limes, Pine-Lime, granny smith apple, a lovely minerality component, 'zingy' acidity, with a touch of a sweetness on a long and lingering finish.

1/27/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Drinking nicely. A nice balance between primary fruit and some bottle development. The palate has softened out with some raspberry liquorice notes, dried herbs and nice spice. A touch of drying tannin lingers on the finish. Overall, very enjoyable.

1/17/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Brief impressions: Still primary fruit, dark, inky, palate starting to soften, but still some good acidity and nice ripe tannins. Give this a good decant before serving, at least 5-10 years of development potential. Lovely wine.

1/3/2021 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

A beautifully balanced wine, with lovely black pepper spice on the finish. Silky smooth on the palate. Excellent wine.

12/7/2020 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Just starting to soften up. Lovely limes, a granny smith apple 'tartness', talc and good lingering acidity. At 5 years of age, relatively youthful still. Plenty of life in it. Good stuff

11/1/2020 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Brief impressions. Consumed over 2 x nights. Day 1 - prominent oak supporting the dark and inky fruit, feels like a quite heavy weight wine.
Day 2 - tasting more like ripe prunes, raisons, hmm. Definitely better on Day 1 with an hours decant. Nice wine, but not thrilling.

10/14/2020 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Nice medium weight/bodied wine with typical varietal notes. Not overly complex, but very enjoyable drinking.

10/11/2020 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Far more developed than I was expecting for a wine 5 years of age, the colour turning to something more mature. Acidity has softened out, giving way to a Brown Lime / Bickfords Lime cordial flavour profile. Just a wee bit of acid lingering on the finish. Happy to capture this wine in a good drinking spot.

10/11/2020 - Matt@5453 Likes this wine:

Some bottle age has served this wine well - it has softened out nicely and is drinking very well. Cassis dominant with a lovely lifted spice component from the French oak, very nice finish too. It was produced to be a 'drink now' wine, but still has a good 5+ years left in the tank (for well stored bottles) if you are looking for something further mature. For my tastes, in a good drinking window now.