4/21/2019 - discoduckglue wrote:

I may need to edit and add additional notes for day 2

Popped and poured and drinking from unfortunately very poor Hotel glassware in Annecy.

Day 1:
Initially a little muted but opening up. A darker more masculine Produttori, yet to gain the silky drink ability of the Del Barbaresco.
Very tannic, dry, pot pourri, aniseed, cranberry juice.
Need to edit on day 2 as it's enjoyable but also quite tough going right now. 91 +++

Day 2:
After a tough day falling off my bike this is going down a treat. Much more open, deeper, round and more plush, tannins subdued and enveloped within the fruit. Perhaps some dark Rhubarb and less Cranberry and surprisingly creamy and glossy. Depth and complexity today and my fears were not justified, this is truly fantastic.
Tannins so fine and lingering, just perfect. Could be 97 points in 5-10 years
95-96

6/3/2018 - discoduckglue wrote:

95 points based on my previous ratings and probably a 92-93 on a cellartracker based system

Just a stunning Langhe, has that translucent but viscous reflective quality that great wines have. Absolutely at the level of a mid to upper tier Barolo. Gorgeous nose with liquorice root, Jasmine and I can't really recall what else as I'm noting this a couple of days after drinking.
Excellent mouthfeel, nice depth without being really A grade, very drinkable now and probably best drunk within 10 years?

Overall outstanding value and each sip was a pleasure.

The 2013 will be a MUST buy

1/4/2018 - discoduckglue wrote:

A little cloudy, and Salmon coloured.

Started off with a worrying home brew and vinegar vibe that had me worried but once it opened up really lovely.

Lovely, supple mouth feel, quite silky and milky.
Dirty watermelon juice with viscosity, chalk, pepper and aniseed. I possibly would have picked this as Nebbiolo fruit.

Awesome Rose.

4/19/2017 - discoduckglue wrote:

This is as close to pure cranberry juice as any wine can get. Cranberry with a dash of alcohol. Even has the same mouth feel.
Touch of menthol on the tail, silky, pleasant but perhaps verging on cordial? Bitterness in the cranberry way.

Enjoyable for a couple of glasses but tiring beyond that. Will make a truly excellent Rose jelly :)

4/10/2017 - discoduckglue wrote:

Day 1. Very pure, clean, light bodied, fresh crushed raspberries, some earth, silky.
Day 2. More of a matte palate, more tannin.
Day 3 Muddy tannin, smooooth and velvety, malt and like an Ovaltine drink.

Notes are minimal but overall impression is that I LOVE the weight, the silky smooth fruit and length are just tremendous...I can't use that word anymore since Trump was elected :(

Really fantastic.

3/12/2017 - discoduckglue wrote:

This is a return to the more powerhouse style of M3 after a few leaner styles since 2010 from memory. I believe this is better balances than the older incarnations and whilst the oak is apparent it is balanced and somehow just works

Very fragrant stonefruit, obvious smoky oak. Length, depth, drive.

Assuming that oak folds in just a smidge this will be a real stunner. Its already a stop you in your tracks wine now.

$40 ish.....sold

10/15/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

The thing that strikes you with this wine is the tannin. So un-Australian for a Pinot noir. And then the dry finish.
Dry Cherry, smidge of earth/leaf mulch, some menthol and then the tannins kick in leaving the mouth coated with tobacco and tar.

More Burgundy meets Barolo than Australian Pinot. Do I appreciate it? Absolutely. Do I love it..hmm. Rating on enjoyment rather than quality.

Edit - After an additional hour (4 hrs so far) this has stepped up a notch. 93-94

10/14/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

On the nose and initially on the palate you think 'wow, we have something here'.

Struck match, peach, citrusy nose and finishes with a citrus note on the palate, very gentle oak, balanced and pure. A little like an Oakridge from memory..... with a squeeze of tangerine.

Many indications of a much higher priced wine. There is a lot of purity here. However things fall apart a little as it loses shape and becomes rounder and flabbier for lack of a better description. I'm not sure how to explain but it simultaneously has a lot of flavour but somehow seems insipid and dilute. Perhaps that is a complete contradiction in terms. I guess it falls away or the depth behind the fruit falls away. Like listening to a song where one of the car speakers is failing. Where is the bass.

Faults aside this is pretty damn good for $20. Hard to rate. Beautiful flavour, smells expensive but lacks length and direction.

I'd still highly recommend it as a drink. I can see most people at a party saying 'hey this is really nice' because it is. If it was a Petit Chablis for $20 people would be backing the truck up.

9/6/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

I quite liked a previous vintage however the addition of Barbera seems to have done this wine no favours.

Familiar adult red cordial and gelatine, dusty notes and the indication of a simple yet enjoyable drink. However a disconcerting acidity kicks in that verges on vinegar. The more I had the less I enjoyed this wine.

I have a cold at the moment so am open to some negative influence based on that. I cant however see loving this wine. Pass for me.

7/20/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

This is a very different wine to the one I had around 18 months ago. That was quite confected and jubey until it had many hours of air time.

This is almost Italian Nebbiolo like in it's 'tar and roses' nose. Mulchy leaves, earth, dark raspberry liquer.

Just on medium weight, surprisingly insistent spread of tannin, and little bitter 'texta' quality.

Very interesting wine. A little disjointed but melding into a serious wine. Where it goes from here will be intriguing.

7/17/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

Immediately a Premium quality nose and palate. Just has that 'this is up there, feel'.

Powerful honeycomb, butter, oil, mineral water. Some oak but nicely welded into the frame of fruit.
Milky texture. Very good wine. Not in love but good. Rate it from 92-95 depending on your preference. Younger bro gave it 95 and he's a tough marker.

7/9/2016 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

Note in retrospect from a few weeks ago so will be vague.

Chablis meets Adelaide Hills. very much green apples, nicely managed subtle oak but noticeably Adelaide Hills Chardonnay aromas. On the leaner side of the spectrum however not dilute or like a Sauv Blanc either.
Flint, green apples, some gentle saline, almond, perhaps a hint of caramel, and unsure if there was a little smoky quality as it was drunk in a room with an open fireplace.
Classy, silky mouthfeel, very refined.

$26-$30 would be a strong BUY from me. I'd rate this above Hoddles Creek or Kooyong at similar price points. 93

6/18/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

Just beginning to develop some very interesting characteristics. If I was just drinking I may write this off as a silky yet standard medium weight Shiraz with some additional gentle viogner characteristics. Almost like a medium weighted McLaren vale Shiraz (Marius perhaps) with a more floral component.

However paying attention there's a lot of complexity here. Honey, malt, malt,malt, pan juices, spices, dark chocolate, tannin.

I agree with the previous taster. Almost weightless. Kind of man floating in body temperature bath. It lolls about on the tongue so beautifully and has that wonderful light coloured malt character that takes me back to a childhood drink I can't remember the name of right now.

I really enjoyed the 13 O'riada but this is clearly better unfortunately ($$$)

Hard to know, but whilst it's in a very good spot now I think it may be in an even better zone in 2-5 years.

Should note my girlfriend gave it 89.

6/12/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

No notes taken at the time so rough impressions only.

Hmm where is the depth here. A bit like water with a squeeze of lemon, I found myself wondering where the wine was. Not because it is delicate or lacking oak but simply the wine felt empty and dilute. Nice mineral zing on the tail leaves a zesty tang in the cheeks though.

I enjoyed drinking this as it's a style I enjoy but cannot rate highly and not worth the $45 Aus I paid.

6/4/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

(Notes written after one hour of airing....tightened up a bit shortly after)

Well this has certainly improved since release, really a much more relaxed and integrated wine now. I would have gone about 91 on release.

Outstanding nose with gentle earth, clay, aniseed, some pretty floral
herbal element, graphite, cloves and spiced yoghurt.

lighter medium bodied, silky smooth, very refined high end red wine jelly both in flavour and texture, pepper and a gentle aniseed tail. Length and depth both goo but the only aspects prevent a 95 rating. Both are decent without being spectacular. Quite Italian overall, what a wine. love this.

Drink now till 2025+

5/27/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

Beautiful , complex, fragrant nose, quite explosive. Dark Cherry, raspberry, coffee, flowers,oak, dust.
Similar palate, in addition quite strong tannin, aniseed bite, very rich fruit, liquer like. Very long with a coffee bean and Mataro like tail end.

Hard to rate. Good in many ways, just a little bit of a fruit bomb. Quite complex and lovely nose, just a bit over the top and unlikely to become more enjoyable on the 2nd 3rd and 4th glasses. hence dropping the rating a touch.

I can see any rating from 86-94 points depending on personal taste.

5/22/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

Dusty rose petal, aniseed/tar, pencil and cherry nose with similar elements on the palate.
Silky mouth feel and a little fruit sweetness but is definitely in check. I’m always a sucker for wine with a good acidic zing to balance the fruit and this has such a nice sour cherry/plum drive. I this was available at the local Italian place it’d be an absolute no brainer.
Delicious.

3/23/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

retrospective note.

Drank a bottle 4 months ago and thought it was clearly the best S&S Shiraz since the 06. Medium bodied, a little pepper, smooth and just the most perfect sherbet like acidic zing balancing the fruit. Big, big yes on this vintage.

3/23/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

Just adding a retrospective note for personal records. Drank a bottle 6-8 months ago and a real wow wine.

From the first sniff my eyes lit up. Intense dark fruits, aromas that jumped from the glass with a little earth and mushroom. On the palate silky and deep. earth, Rhubarb, slatey crushed rock for days and perhaps a smidge of prune which normally is a big turn off.

Often when I buy a $70 wine I am mildly disappointed. This is worth the $$ however. Must grab another.

3/23/2016 - discoduckglue wrote:

Good but nowhere near the WF rating of 94 points.

A lot of good qualities on the nose and palate but somehow light, lacking depth and fruit quality and a little manipulated. Subtle earthen cherry and red fruit on the nose and kind of a cherry/rhubarb liqueur palate. perhaps just a tad too much toffee sweetness.

Perhaps I'm just not giving it due time or air and it may well impress further with a little time.

11/26/2015 - discoduckglue wrote:

My least favourite vintage of probably my favourite Australian Shiraz.
No notes taken however the reason I am mildly less enthusiastic of this vintage is that the smokey, earthy element can be powerful to the point of distraction even with decent decanting. Some mild rubber tones to the nose as well. That said I haven't tried a bottle on a 2nd night and it is still a fantastic wine albeit a tad more challenging than other vintages.

11/23/2015 - discoduckglue wrote:

Gee this has become a truly interesting wine. No notes taken at the time so I'll be brief. It was really the 2nd night that this came alive. A real Rhone pencil driven nose along with definite aniseed. Silky and powerful on the palate but at no point is it 'big' or over the top, just powerful. The palate is extremely smooth and silky. Some definite spice to boot. I have to say I am really impressed. Kind of a best of old world meets best of new world deal.

2/20/2014 - discoduckglue wrote:

God what a bargain of a wine. This must be the best sub $25 Australian red wine I've had since the 2010 Cirillo Grenache.

It has the main thing you should want in a wine. It's just damn delicious. I LOVE the sour cherry / crisp apple acidity. Hugely refreshing wine and just the ticket as I was a little over wine altogether.

The nose has an earthy, mild gravel dusty, vegemite on buttery toast(don't let that put you off it's very mild but 2 of us independently made that comment) and sweet cranberry.

Palate has that gorgeous acidity mentioned and it lingers and lingers like a young Clare Riesling albeit in a different context.

This is why I drink wine. I own many good to great wines but rarely do they give this level of pure enjoyment. Yum...and that's what it's all about. I could auction a Grange and buy 15 of these. Makes owning Grange seem ridiculous really.

2/10/2014 - discoduckglue wrote:

Hugely interesting. Smoky, green pine needles, seaweed, grass and a hint of passionfruit.

more a cerebral wine than a particularly enjoyable one. great for a glass or to share with a couple of friends but not a wine I feel like having more than a couple of glasses of.

Glad to have another alternate style SB but I preferred the Dog Point Section 94 by a little margin. gave that 94 points.

1/17/2014 - discoduckglue wrote:

Fleshy yellow, oyster shells, gun smoke, fresh Riesling lime/kiwi acidity.

A bit like an aged chardonnay with the acidity of a young Riesling.

lovely silky wine. Fleshy and very yellow as mentioned. Unique.

Drink young. 2014-2016. Yum.

1/4/2014 - discoduckglue wrote:

Deep urine yellow, golden honey, oak. A bit past it and not something I feel like drinking again. Probably 2 years from being in the zone.

1/4/2014 - discoduckglue wrote:

Stunning.

Red cordial, red liquorice, dark cherry cola, a tiny bit of orange marmalade, hint of sarsaparilla, silky as hell. A nice alpine herbal smell (I guess woods in the snow kind of thing).

An easy wine to love. Complex, silky and a pleasure to drink.

1/4/2014 - discoduckglue wrote:

So very tannic and tight. I'd be leaving this one 10 yrs.

Drunk over 3 days it did soften but was still coiled up.

Chalky tannin, aniseed, flinty, deep rich dark colour, medium bodied but very powerful. Became a little more velvety and will be a gorgeous wine in 10 yrs.

Hard going now but will be a 95 pointer.

12/21/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Nice typical Adelaide Hills Chardonnay flavour ruined by over the top spicy oak. Wayyyy too much oak ruins what would have been a good little wine. Blergh

12/21/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Crudo Rose:

Recently gained 95 points on Winefront.

Hmmm I don't get it, perhaps I'll wait 6 months and open another bottle. This one had a curious murky orange colour that had me excited to try it.

Unfortunately for me I think this tasted very much like poor homebrew beer. I simply found it hard to drink....

11/20/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

I honestly have no idea how to describe or rate this wine but here goes.

Royal maroon red in colour. A real reddish purple.Almost a watered down blood.

Nose - Hmm I'm really tempted to say pomegranate even though I'm not sure I've ever eaten one. I must have though cos the comparison keeps coming to mind.
Kind of like if the 2010 (purple) Contrarian was a red instead of purple and also a Pinot.....yes that's a strange sentence. Has a very red almost pink character and is extremely perfumed. Rhubarb, toffee, earthiness,zesty citrus, soap and steel. Despite the complexity and nice descriptors there is just the slight impression of wine-making interfering rather than the qualities being pure fruit.....a tad chemistry somehow??

Palate - Has the same Rubarb red profile on the palate if a flavour can taste like a colour. I guess synasthesia (spelling?) comes to the fore a bit with wine tasting.

Light/medium bodied. Almost like a Ochota Barrels Green Noir but deeper and has an almost unfiltered quality to it. Very Italian meets Australian and has both qualities of expensive and cheap wine to the taste. Tastes very much like an interesting one glass wine you have at a cafe, think it's cool and never think of again.

Overall - 90+ to 91

11/6/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

No notes taken.

Tremendous wine.Started with strong liquorice, spice. Developed with air. Many years to go based on this bottle. Pure and enjoyable.

10/28/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Popped and poured.

Nose - Steel, graphite, gluey jubey blue and purple fruit, fig, eucalyptus.....very minor candied orange, deep heat rub and more aspects that I can't quite nail. Complex.

Palate - mid weight but rich with a lot of length and a little tannin and acid rounding it nicely. Cool on the palate with a nice soft glycerol mouth feel. Palate matches the nose with a little aniseed as well. Cranberry and cream aftertaste....gorgeous.

Reminds of me of a young 2004 Edelstone. Something I think I mentioned last time round?

Seriously good quality wine.

10/12/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Stunning. Lemon tart, viscous, great length, still extremely youthful with just the mildest hint of honey and toast.

One the the best Rieslings I've had. World class.

10/7/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Having a Head Contrarian 2012. Just popped and poured.

Much less intense and much less PURPLE than the 2010.

Immediate impressions over 3 glasses :

Spice, mint, nose clearing menthol. Quite cool climate (Mt Edelstone) like, gentle plummy, figgy, blackcurrent, nuttiness and nougat on the palate even some metallic steeliness on the nose, something I normally only get in French reds.Add a little BBQ'd fatty lamb to round it out.

Like a rich hedonistic wine but with a dollop of cream mixed in to cool it down like you would do to a curry. Silky, medium weight for a Shiraz but also powerful. Some nice acid on the tail end. A really nice almond milkiness throughout and some nice subtle tannin to complete the picture.

Excellent wine, really impressed - 94+ points

In many ways very similar to the 04 Grange (yes I said it). A bit more medium bodied, but similar in flavour and impression.

9/29/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

First glass is room temp but despite that it's rocking. Strawberries, roses,musk, silky (quality chardonnay like) texture. A tiny bit of gin like alcohol (smidge). Dry to very dry, actually reminds me of a pink chardonnay for some reason. Slightly bitter/Gin/stalk aftertaste that just slightly irks me but then I am a bitterphobe.

Really very good to great Rose. pretty salmon colour, tastes great and a gorgeous bottle. Highly recommended for Oct/November -Late March/April/May drinking

92-93

9/28/2013 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

Stone fruit, apples, malo influence? mild butter, minimal subtle oak, nice gentle acidity balancing the silky fruit beatifully. Drinking beautifully and should be great for another 5 years or so.

Oak is much more subtle this vintage. Great wine and a bargain at $30. Highly recommended.

6/14/2013 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

Outstanding Chardonnay. Soft and cuddly on the tongue. A little green tinge, pear, banana, wood putty, peach and an un Chardonnay like aftertaste that I can’t quite pin…Pinot Gris-esque with a musky quality ???. Oak is subtle and the fruit is clearly outstanding. A subtle but powerful wine.

For me it is a little like a mix between a lighter coloured Pyramid Valley Chardonnay mixed with a quality Chablis. Great now but probably better in a couple of years.
93-95

A delicious wine.

5/28/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

This is a really outstanding wine for the $25 I paid.

Medium weighted but rich, not fruit bomby at all. A little spice and funk along with velvety mouth feel. The overwhelming note is of toasted nuts and a hazelnut nougat. Just a delicious wine to drink.

I'm not sure i'd want a full bottle to myself at this stage as the very aspects I found delicious I found a little tiring after 3 glasses.

I have a feeling this is going to age really well over the next 5-8 years and become more serious.

I can't see too many people not enjoying this wine.

5/28/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Very, very solid for $19. Very pale in colour.

Struck match, minerals, hint of lemon juice, grapefruit and a little toasty oak. Light weight but silky texture and very good length.

Stands up well against wines double the price and I can't think of another Chardonnay that stacks up for the price....Kooyong Clonale maybe.

5/26/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Better than the 2011 a smidge behind the 2009 and a full step behind the excellent 2010.

Translucent red colour with a bit of Purple petroleum colour. Silky smooth and cool tasting. Red cordial, raspberries, very much a pinot style wine, light-medium bodied, has an aniseed bite to balance the sweet clear fruit. I'd prefer a little more stuffing as it really is too much like a Pinot for me and just lacking a little more earth/complexity to make me love it, a little more acid may have been nice. That said it's a great alternative companion to the other vintages and a nice drink made with excellent fruit.

5/12/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Notes not taken and I suspect a flaw.

Nowhere near the standard of my last bottle (12 months ago). This one was a little over the hill and had a strange vegemite character lingering in the background.

That said the quality was obvious and it was still an interesting wine to drink. My girlfriend loved it and thought it was complex but easy to drink. I'll open another bottle soon and take notes on the flavour profile.

4/16/2013 - discoduckglue wrote:

Notes taken 2nd day. First day I wasn't so sure as it was noticeably darker, intense and had a stronger aniseed element than the 09 (which I thought was fantastic). I thought it was like a mix between Petaluma Merlot and an Adelaide Hills Shiraz due to the peppery aspect (Lobethal rd especially)

Day 2 it was still dark and had a slightly bitter stemmy aniseed aftertaste but overall WOW. Slinky, smooth, cool on the tongue. White pepper, mulchy herbs, dark cherry, lots of brambly black berries, black current a little blue jubes. It's the smooth silky quality paired with the mouth watering green toffee apple acid and the coolness on the tongue that make this an outstanding wine. A powerful cool climate wine. I may slightly prefer the 09 as a drink but this is a great wine. Better on the 2nd night.

94-95

1/8/2013 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

Drunk a week or so ago. Despite my high rating I am just a smidge disappointed. First full bottle of high end Bordeaux and perhaps I was expecting a little more. No notes taken but I recall the nose being outstanding, the palate being rich and smooth and with a few hours decanting the wine was plush and enjoyable to drink....but....and perhaps I'm weird....it did remind me a lot of a very good Margaret river cabernet and didn't quite have the additional quality or X factor I was hoping for to lift it a level above. I think i wanted more personality...more spice, more tobacco, more green vegetal aspect. 2 more bottles, I will try again in 5 years......very, very good however.

1/8/2013 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

Drunk a few days ago and didn't take notes. I will say however that previously I have liked the wine but not been overwhelmed. Seems a little extra time has really done wonders. Fantastic. Apricots and cream, hint of preserved lemon and cheesecake, minerality in there too. Quite rich and viscous with outstanding length. Not over the top though and oak not in the way. Loved it, very impressive. Far and away the best NZ Chardonnay I have had.

1/8/2013 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

didn't take notes but I thought this was the equal of the 99 EJ Carr personally. May have actually enjoyed it as midge more??

12/18/2012 - discoduckglue Likes this wine:

Quite Hunter Shiraz like meets Pinot. Leather, liquorice, musty wet red volcanic earth, mustiness, animale and quite silky with a nice acidic cherry bite. Great wine.

11/26/2012 - discoduckglue wrote:

Having had a Brocard 07 GC Chablis recently and being blown away by it I was left relatively dissapointed by this effort. Pure, balanced and pure but tatsed like a good wine at 1/3rd the price and lacked the length, depth or acidity to interest me a great deal. Very nice but not the wine I'd hoped for and not worth the price I'd paid at all.

11/19/2012 - discoduckglue wrote:

Dry, saline, crushed rock minerals, strong bath salts, incense, pure silky fruit and great length. This will last for ages.

Very good wine.

10/27/2012 - discoduckglue wrote:

Lemon, lime, brine, green vegetal element (beans??). Rich and extremely long but also subtle and complex with subdued oak and minerality. Excellent wine and in the absolute top tier of Oz Chardonnays