December 18, 2020 - Dec Catch Up @ C@B!: Black fruits, leather, cigar with a tinge of sweetness which gave it away as a New World. Honestly enjoyed this. Good stuff!
May 17, 2020 - Lovely cool climate shiraz. Delicate and floral leaning towards Rhône style. It’s maturing beautifully and went down a treat today. Will keep going. Yarra Yering rarely falls short.
May 2, 2020 - Very elegant, dry cassis, eucalyptus scents. Lovely softness. Stylish wine on the plateau of maturity now. The acidity sticks out slightly but with food became more harmonious. Plum, and a light truffle note lingered well on the finish.
I was very pleased to have kept this bottle under ideal storage conditions. A bottle of the same wine, purchased from the same case as mine, shared by a colleague in December 2019 was falling apart and showed signs of heat stress and oxidation.
February 28, 2020 - Similar styled Old and New World Sirah /Shyraz. Coravin – new bottles
2006 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 – 92 points
Clear dark ink coloured wine with significant decolouration round the hue indicating significant age. A real bouquet where the smokiness jumps at you first, followed by jammy blueberry and fig with a hint of menthol at the end. It is more restraint than other Australian Shyraz, being medium rather than full-bodied, with dialled down acidity and fully developed silky. More like Nothern Rhone Sirah than an “in-your-face” new world version. Overall, a balanced, intense and complex wine with a nice length that expresses the typical style of Yarra Valley (or defined it?). A pleasure to drink now but probably fully mature in its development.
2006 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle – 93 Points
A subtle and refined bouquet awaits you with jammy dark fruits and tertiary notes like cacao and leather. A restraint and balanced palate with lively acidity and silky tannins. Quality wine, more modest in intensity but higher in complexity than other vintages I tasted. Overall, slightly “classier.” Fully developed.
June 15, 2019 - Juicy, yet restrained cold-climate Syrah. Judicious use ok oak. Tannins hardly noticeable. Lovely and enjoyable wine, if a bit simple. Will try my remaining bottle in about 5 years.
May 17, 2019 - Inviting bouquet of cherry, blackcurrant, pepper and leather.
On the palate, moderate in tannins, high alcohol is not overpowering, medium acidity. Can be best described as juicy and elegant.
Enormous finesse and class. Long finish.
I really enjoyed this. Reminiscent of great Nothern Rhone.
Went online afterwards and bought a case.
October 14, 2018 - A beautiful smooth symphony drinking perfectly now...
September 30, 2018 - Glorious. Small bretty hints. But nothing severe.
February 1, 2017 - awesome drop. wonderful balamce, it beggars belief that this is 14.5%. Lots of fruit but real savouriness as well.
December 22, 2016 - TCA