The Auswine Forum

Craiglee Shiraz 20 - There have been a few iterations of the Shiraz in recent years. A black label Reserve, a single block Eadie and SV as well as the estate Shiraz. This is a cooler vintage and looks more familiar to me. Moderation and subtlety rather than strong flavours. Typically open fermenter ...

Peter Lehmann H&V Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris 23 - An extra year or two in the bottle. Some colour in this now and very aromatic. Citrus, nashi pear, nectarine, subtle spice and honeysuckle. Bright, fresh fruit character and a soft textural mid-palate. Juicy acidity that is perfectly balanced with...

Port Phillip Estate Balnarring Pinot Noir 24 - North facing vineyard 60m above sea level with sandy and clay loamy soil. Pick this as Mornington Peninsula pinot easy. Wild yeast, some whole bunch and 11 months in French oak. Ruby colour and lovely aromatics. Violets, cherry, strawberry, earth and sp...

Sorry about that Craig. TWE shareholders get an invite to join cellardoor.co OK I watched the AGM webcast today rather than attending it. I made a cup of tea and took notes. Chairman John Mullen opening the AGM and speaking. Two of the directors didn’t attend. No address from the CEO, because of the...

Phaedrus Reserve Pinot Noir 23 - This comes off a one acre block. Foot treading, wild ferment and matured for 18 months in tight grained French hogsheads. Ruby colour with a darker hue. Cherry, forest fruits, earth and spice. Medium-bodied and still very fresh and primary. Oak and tannin giving it s...

Hahndorf Hill Gru Gruner Veltliner 23 - Adelaide Hills. First place you go to for Gruner in this country. You can see they know what they are doing. Green straw colour and very aromatic. Nashi pear, grapefruit, herbs and spice. Lots of interesting stuff in this. Not just the florals and fruit, also ...

Ten Minutes By Tractor 10X Chardonnay 24 - Sourced from a number of vineyards. Barrel-fermented, with 11% new French oak and 5 months maturation. Some of this malo. Straw coloured. Citrus, stonefruit, spice and leesy barrel influences softening it and adding texture. The oak feels pretty obvious, bu...

Picked up half a doz wines this afternoon, incl some regulars. Chalmers Nero d’Avola 22 Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 24 Pizzini Nonna Gisella Sangiovese 24 Stumpy Gully Peninsula Panorama Pinot Noir 24 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 19 (To replace the bottle I drank last year.) Ten Minut...

Rockford Frugal Farmer 23 - Long time Rockford drinkers will know this wine far better than me. It is a lighter, lower alcohol red compared to others in the lineup. Also a little unusual. A Grenache and Mataro blend that has been fermented on Alicante skins. Garnet red colour and very aromatic. Musk...

I did the rounds at Mornington Peninsula today and picked up wines to drink over the next couple of months, incl some new releases. Kooyong Ferrous Single Block Pinot Noir 23 Kooyong Haven Single Block Pinot Noir 23 Port Phillip Estate Balnarring Pinot Noir 24 Phaedrus Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonna...

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 24 - The fruit picked over a couple of weeks in February. A bit earlier than usual. Whole bunch pressed and tank fermented. Green straw colour and fragrant. Citrus, peach, herbs with pithy texture and fresh minerally acidity. Feels tight, it needs another year or two. T...

Rockford wine order delivered today.

Rockford Eden Valley Riesling 24 x 3
Rockford Frugal Farmer 23
Rockford Moppa Springs GMS 22
Rockford Rod & Spur Shiraz Cabernet 21

Mid-week drinking. Sidewood Pinot Gris 25 - Won a trophy for best Pinot Gris at the Sydney Wine Show this year. Handpicked, whole bunch, wild yeast, mostly barrel-fermented and 5 months maturation in French oak. Large format oak, because this still has strong fruit character. A pale gold colour and ...

Golding Pinot Noir 23 - A family owned winery in Adelaide Hills. Ruby coloured. Cherry, rhubarb and spice. The alcohol is low, just 12.5% a/v. But some nice intensity on the palate and clean fruit character. A little earthy, which is probably some whole bunch influence. Feels medium-bodied with fres...

No. Rather leave scoring wines to wine judges and the wine critics.

Ten Minutes By Tractor 10X Pinot Noir 24 - Such a good benchmark of vintage in Mornington Peninsula. Wild ferment in tank, oak and concrete, with just 5 months maturation in French oak. Ruby colour and perfumed. Red cherry, plums, a hint of forest floor and spice. Got some lovely pinot character wit...

I went back to Dan Murphy’s this afternoon and picked up another dozen wines. Some crazy good specials (especially on the premiums) at the moment to take advantage of. I told the Manager I bought the Penfolds yesterday and the wines I really want to drink today. :) Wendy tells me I can’t buy any mor...

I did a walk in tasting of some of the new release Penfolds - Bin 28, Bin 389 and St Henri. Interesting the Bin 28 is under cork rather than screwcap. Also a price drop this year, but I still bought just a sample of the offerings and one back vintage. Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 23 (cork) Penfolds Bin 28...

Phaedrus Pinot Gris 25 - Wild yeast and unoaked. Some skin contact has given this a blush of colour and extra flavour. Jumping out of the glass. Florals, ripe pears and honeysuckle. Loads of fresh acidity and feels medium weight with a bit of phenolics. Had back vintages of these PGs and it comes up...

Restocked last week, incl 3 different vintages of Craiglee Shiraz ($57 pb). Bannockburn Shiraz 22 x 2 Blue Pyrenees Estate Section One Shiraz 22 Chris Ringland CR Barossa Shiraz 23 Craiglee Shiraz 19 Craiglee Shiraz 20 Craiglee Shiraz 21 Eden Hall Gruner Veltliner 21 Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 24 Ph...

Dromana Estate Pinot Noir 21 - Not been there a long time. Spotted this bottle, which was much cheaper than I remembered. Open fermented in vats and 12 months in old French oak puncheons. Not oaky as a result and still very fresh. Ruby colour and fragrant. Dark cherry, plum, rhubarb and dried herbs....

It is Ngadjuri country.

Majella Cabernet Sauvignon 21 - Deep purple colour. Dark berries, cherry, mint, bay leaf and a big aniseed note. Got 18 months in French oak barrels, which has pretty much settled in now. More about the tannin than oak flavour when you are drinking these Cabs young. The fruit is still very fresh, bu...

I had these open since the weekend and drunk over the last few days. Fetherston Fungi Pinot Noir 23 - New winery in Yarra Valley making wines since 2015. The fruit brought in for the wines, though they est their own vineyard at Hoddles Creek in 2022. So this is using fruit from local vineyards, incl...

Cape Mentelle Marri Chardonnay 24 - Named after the local marri trees around Margaret River. When they flower in late summer into autumn the birds are attracted to that rather than the grapes, so often a big factor in vintages. Straw coloured and very clean and fresh. Lightly oaked with tropical fru...

The new release of the Wynns Black Label has a name change. Now it is labelled The Original Cabernet Sauvignon 2023. Still got a black label. Nb. The original Wynns Cabs in the 50s actually had a white label and were labelled Cabernet, although the 55 and 56 were blends and labelled as Claret. Since...

Chris Ringland CR Barossa Shiraz 23 - A cooler, rain affected vintage early on. Picking was later than average years. This is very consistent even with vintage variation however. Style is the main thing. Loads of colour and rich, warm flavours. Blackberry, plums, mocha, spice and velvety soft tannin...

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 18 - This is the blue label flagship Cabernet. Some PV and Merlot in it adding nuances. Post-ferment got 8 weeks on skins and 18 months maturation in French oak barrels. Drank it over a couple of nights and opened up nicely. Deeply coloured and full-bodied, but elega...

Penfolds Max’s Cabernet Sauvignon 21 - This came in a presentation gift box designed by Japanese artist Nigo. Just a marketing gimmick really. The wine is OK however. Got used French and American oak. Nice dense purple colour. Dark berries, mulberry, cherry, herbs and sweet charry oak. Rich and full...

Wickhams Road Gippsland Pinot Noir 24 - Sourced from a 8ha vineyard at Nar Nar Goon they manage. This was a challenging vintage in Gippsland. Lots of humidity and rainfall in the growing season. Followed by a hot spell and an early harvest in mid-Feb. Ruby red colour. OK this smells and tastes great...