Hot Off The Vine


2014 Daou Viognier

2014 Daou Viognier


Posted on May 5, 2018

Paso Robles Wines2014 Daou Viognier

Not for the faint of heart, this is a full-bodied white that has classic Viognier characteristics that have been dialed up a notch. A wonderfully floral nose with peach and honeysuckle on the palate. Soft and smooth with a plush mouth feel, it is well balanced and one of the finest Viogniers we’ve tasted.

Excellent+

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2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay

2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay


Posted on Mar 3, 2018

WA Wine2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay

We first opened this wine a year and a half ago and our initial thought was “ABC” (Anything But Chardonnay) drinkers be damned! It is a big new world Chardonnay out of Washington that shows how an “oaky” chardonnay can be powerful but simultaneously balanced so as not to be overpowering. Gold in colour with a medium plus body, the first whiff revealed vanilla, butterscotch and caramel. The first sip had similar notes backed with lemon, honey and citrus. Terrific body and complexity to this wine with a lovely long finish. Fast forward to last night and it has evolved in more. A little more subtle yet still very complex, it is drinking beautifully right now but still has a few years of optimum drinking left.

Excellent+

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Santa Barbara California2007 Brewer-Clifton Mount Carmel Pinot Noir

Dark red in colour, the nose reveals lots of red fruits and baking spices. Medium in body with a nice smooth mouthfeel, the secondary notes of earth and herbs do a great job balancing out the fruit. This is a big, new world Pinot that isn’t overpowering because it so well structured. At 11 years old, it’s drinking beautifully now and likely won’t get better with more time. If you have some put away, drink it, you won’t be disappointed!

Excellent

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2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz

2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz


Posted on Feb 19, 2018

Mclarenvale Australia2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz 

Still deep violet in colour. Lots of dark berry fruit here: blackberry, blueberry and plum with supporting notes of baking spices and whiffs of vanilla. Thick, plush and quite powerful, this manages to maintain balance despite its size. However we found it to lack complexity and be a bit one dimensional. The materials are there, but they somehow avoid coming together in a way that ordinarily we would find more impressive. Not a complaint, but not something to go wow over either.

Very Good+

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2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon

2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon


Posted on Feb 3, 2018

Napa Valley Wine2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon

Wow. It’s been a while since we’ve had a wine this well balanced. Incredibly complex, it displayed lots of dark fruit—black cherry, blueberry, currant—with secondary notes of pepper, earth and tobacco. It had the power you’d expect from a California Cab but the elegance of a Bordeaux. Smooth and plush mouthfeel, the length was ridiculously long. Fully mature and drinking beautifully.

Excellent+

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1996 Cos d’Estournel

1996 Cos d’Estournel


Posted on Jan 20, 2018

st estephe french bordeaux wine1996 Cos d’Estournel

We had big expectations for this wine and it didn’t disappoint. It took some time to open up to the point that when first opened, we were worried it might be off. After a two hour decant it started to sing! Dark red in colour, it’s a very complex wine revealing notes of plum, cherry, blackberry, earth and tobacco. A lovely textured mouth feel with a very nice long finish. Still seems to have time but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Excellent+

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