Téssera Wines Middle Child Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Téssera Wines Middle Child Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

  11:47    Stu.

---

McLaren Vale Cabernet is - in my view - an oft overlooked pleasure. Shiraz stands tall, attempts have been made to garner Grenache as the hero variety - and that's without mentioning the strong Italian roots in the region that have seen Montepulciano and Sangiovese championed amongst the reds.

Here, a Cabernet Sauvignon with classic dark chocolate and coffee grounds aromas - those deep and dark compounds slowly reveal blue and black fruits within.

The palate is soft, rounded, approachable - oak tannin remnants married to a resurgence of fruit and associated freshness. Acid works in tandem to deliver a generous length - and satisfaction. Go now to 2028. 92

Tasted on: Sunday 26th February
Source: Sample
Price: $26.66
Alcohol: 14.6%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://tesserawines.com.au/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More

Mayfield Vineyard Backyard Riesling 2022

Mayfield Vineyard Backyard Riesling 2022

  12:45    Stu.

---

It's been a while between drinks from Mayfield. This the first of a trio of reviews from the label since acquisition by the Eastham family in 2021.

Expressive Riesling from the Orange region: passionfruit, sour apples, suggestion of under-ripe banana in the mix too.

Soft on entry, soon yielding to a vibrant, minerally acidity giving energy and length.

Limes and kaffir leaf lead to thoughts of spicy Thai on hot days. 91

Tasted on: Thursday 16th February
Source: Sample
Price: $34
Alcohol: 13.2%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.mayfieldvineyard.com.au/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More

Cellier des Dauphins Les Dauphins Côte du Rhone Rosé 2020

Cellier des Dauphins Les Dauphins Côte du Rhone Rosé 2020

  16:00    Stu.

---

Strawberry and husk, a little watermelon and rind.

Textural with a slightly broader palate profile. Citrus running fresh across the finish. Flash of fresh herb in the frame too. A pleasing, somewhat no-nonsense style of Rosé. 88

Tasted on: Saturday 29th October
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More

Huntington Estate Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Huntington Estate Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

  09:24    Stu.

---

I had the opportunity to re-appraise this at the Huntington Winemaker's Lunch (a great event if you get the chance - disclosure, I have been fortunate to be invited as a guest of the winery on occasion).

On that second tasting, it was reinforced how it is so a wine of depth, of dark black and red fruit sitting on a dense palate with firm tannins.

The Special Reserve is very much a denser and darker manifestation of Cabernet - at least on this showing - within the Huntington portfolio. 

There's a richness too, almost veering toward something that in youth might be considered a balsamic edge. Deep and dense, as though to reflect the rich Mudgee soil, free of the artifice that can be afflicted through excessive oak. 

The palate shows a freshness, a pleasant change of direction at odds to the initial depths that are explored across the palate. For all that, it's certainly assured of a life ahead of it. 94

Tasted on: Sunday 30th October
Source: Sample
Price: $50
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://huntingtonestate.com.au/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More

Lapis Luna Zinfandel 2020

Lapis Luna Zinfandel 2020

  14:34    Stu.

---

Char and toast, bold aromas, certainly not subtle. It's Zinfandel - a staple of Northern California,

here  specifically the North Coast/Mendocino region, the wine sees a mix of French and American oak, a small portion (10%) new.

A lightness on the palate, sweeter edged - showing its alcohol for sure against firm tannins. Reasonable length, but it feels a little unsettled and I'm not convinced it's going to improve beyond where it's at.

For those that love them fuller in profile - go now for up to three years. 88

Tasted on: Tuesday 18th October
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 14.9%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More

Harewood Estate Great Southern Riesling 2022

Harewood Estate Great Southern Riesling 2022

  08:29    Stu.

---

This is the entry level Riesling from Harewood Estate - a producer that explores a range of sub-regional Riesling to such excellence.

Lime pith, green melon, a floral note - steely reserve under that initial aromatic introduction.

Quite austere, yielding little. There's a length and generosity of intent - but hard to nail its colours to the mast when I find such expression elsewhere in the range. 90+

Tasted on: Friday 28th October
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://harewood.com.au/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More

Break Free Petite Blancs 2022

Break Free Petite Blancs 2022

  08:22    Stu.

---

Swan Valley Chenin Blanc with Margaret River Chardonnay and Frankland River Gewurztraminer.

Unfiltered, giving it a Barley water-esque haze - something I don't mind in a wine, but shits me no end in a beer.

Plenty of interest mind: musky aromatics, pear juice dribbling across the palate, creamy almond in the mix too.

There's a creamy mid-palate with spikes of acidity. Certainly not your run of the mill white and all the more interesting for it. The sum of the parts and all that. 

Tasted on: Thursday 9th February
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://clandestinevineyards.com.au/

Follow me: http://twitter.com/TheVinsomniac

Read More