Domaine Galuval Le Coq Volant Côtes du Rhone Villages 2022

Domaine Galuval Le Coq Volant Côtes du Rhone Villages 2022

  13:06    Stu.

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Sun-kissed warmth of the Southern Rhone on red-black fruit. Add in a touch of oak in support and you've a generous introduction to a well packaged CdR. 

Palate has an edge of bitterness, black tea, firmish tannins. This rolls well with proteins - lapping up those tannins, and elevates it beyond the entry-level for the style - drinks more like a mid-tier Southern Rhone. 91

Tasted on: Friday 17th October
Source: Sample
Price: $40
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Cork
Sample courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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Domaines Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Viognier 2019

Domaines Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Viognier 2019

  16:30    Stu.

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I think these may be Dan Murphy's exclusive imports into Australia.

Chicken stock and stonefruit, soft and inviting. 

Luscious, a textural interplay across the palate, veering towards a viscosity that pulls forward stonefruit juice. Moderate length of flavour, pleasurable enough wine. 89 

Tasted on: Friday 18th September 
Source: Sample
Price: $16.99
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.palatepr.com/

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Chateau Paul Mas Coteaux de Languedoc Clos des Mures 2018

Chateau Paul Mas Coteaux de Languedoc Clos des Mures 2018

  08:30    Stu.

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Classic GSM blend from the Languedoc. Possibly a Dan Murphy's exclusive in Australia.

Scorced earth and old leather, more of that savoury bent for sure. 

Palate showing a modicum of fruit, seeming a touch tired, tho the back palate does come through with quite a juicy, acidic presence - not bad considering it's 14.5% alcohol. 88 

Tasted on: Sunday 12th April 
Source: Sample
Price: $20.99
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://www.paulmas.com/
Sample courtesy of: https://www.palatepr.com/

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Paul Mas Marsanne 2018

Paul Mas Marsanne 2018

  16:30    Stu.

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Quite unsure how this can be pumped out, exported and retailed for under ten bucks - particularly when it - at least - smells varietal. 

It's a soft and sensuous blend of florals, smatterings of stonefruit and a little confectioners creme. 

Yes it's a little devoid on the palate in interest terms, but offers up  a delicate texture married to a subtle acidic carriage. 

Light carry of stonefruit nectar across the finish. There's balance and a gentle persistence. You could do far worse for your money. 87 

Tasted on: Tuesday 3rd March 
Source: Retail
Price: $9
Alcohol: TBC
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.paulmas.com/

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Chateau Martinolles Limoux Chardonnay 2018

Chateau Martinolles Limoux Chardonnay 2018

  16:30    Stu.

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Immediately rich, buttery, hint of toast and with a minerally sense.

Generous, fluid, creamy hints; full malo and Battonage evident here - full and rich in style. 

Lovers of the style will be happy here. 89 

Tasted on: Sunday 12th April
Source: Sample
Price: $18.99
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.martinolles.com/

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Jacquart Mosaique Brut NV

Jacquart Mosaique Brut NV

  08:30    Stu.

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Stonefruit, apricot marmalade, hints of brioche/ Danish pastry; there's an umami - savoury in a sweet spot - like hint lurking in the background - adding depth.

Green apple, grapefruit, citrus and stonefruit. Fine minerally acidity, on the back of a good length. Toast and nuts across the palate too. Good complexity here, with an inherent drinkability. 93 

Tasted on: Friday 24th January
Source: Sample
Price: $70
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://www.champagne-jacquart.com/
Sample courtesy of: https://www.singlevineyards.com/

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Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 2018

Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 2018

  12:30    Stu.

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As I understand it. Les Moriers is a steep vineyard that sweeps down into Moulin-a-Vent territory, so this comes across as something like a hybridisation of those two fine Crus. 

It certainly opens with conviction, it has an evocative fruit/ savoury mix on intro, kinda like black cherry and raspberry with a sprinkling of  earth and dried mushroom. 

It's a wine of focus and precision, an ultra fine tannin that guides the body of the wine and delivers - seemingly perpetually. There's a Fruit tartness to the wine, yet it's not out of place, feeling and fresh and vibrant. A sheer delight. 95

Tasted on: Friday 24th January 

Source: Retail, Cru Bar
Price: $38.99
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Cork
Importer: https://www.andrewguard.com.au/

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Domaine Catherine Bernard IGP Pays d'Hérault Mourvèdre 2016

Domaine Catherine Bernard IGP Pays d'Hérault Mourvèdre 2016

  12:00    Stu.

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The Pays d'Hérault is in the Languedoc in France's South-West. Taking its name from the Herault River that forms one of its boundaries, it sits in a natural amphitheatre over predominantly Limestone and Schist, the former being Mourvèdre's beloved foundation.

Caveat: tasted in shite Air BnB stemware

Black fruit at its heart, herbal essences with a licorice undertow. Medium bodied and light touch on entry, its juiciness surprises - disarms - given the variety. 

The licorice elements make their presence known, ably supported by the freshness that characterises the wine. There's a gentle play of tannin that sits well through the finish. Very good wine. 92 

Tasted on: Sunday 17th December, a Leaf day

Source: Retail, Frenchie
Price: $30 Approx 
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: DIAM
Website: n/a

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Champagne Brimoncourt Brut Regence NV

Champagne Brimoncourt Brut Regence NV

  10:30    Stu.

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A blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Fermented in stainless steel and spends four years on lees for extra depth and complexity.

Citrus, buttery brioche and mealy notes greet you on pour. Has a textural richness, creamy and sensuous with a flavour profile that laps across the palate. Another fine Champagne from the Brimoncourt house. 91

See also Blanc de Blanc

Tasted on: 11th December
Source: Sample
Price: $78
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://brimoncourt.com/en/

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Champagne Brimoncourt Blanc de Blanc NV

Champagne Brimoncourt Blanc de Blanc NV

  17:45    Stu.

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Pretty impressive wesbite from Brimoncourt, a somewhat new negociant Champagne house, in the process of acquiring its own holdings. 


Its raison d'être is: "to get back to the original DNA of champagne, to the time when it was a light and joyful wine, a wine that was drunk with friends, a wine for meeting with people but not at all formal".


Certainly in its presentation and presence in the bottle it appears to achieve that. Delicate, suggestive of quince, stonefruit, a little biscuit. Lean, tight, acid feels quite hard, green apples and citrus; powdery/ chalky. 


It's light, a little tang, has you yearning for more - very easy to drink. Puts you in the frame of mind, or certainly suggestive of, a great entree fizz. Set the scene. 
Creaminess pervades, citrus concludes. 92 

Tasted on: 28th November, a Fower day
Source: Sample
Price: $78
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://brimoncourt.com/en/

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Hervé Souhaut Vin des Pays l'Ardeche Syrah 2013

Hervé Souhaut Vin des Pays l'Ardeche Syrah 2013

  12:40    Stu.

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Domaine Romeaux-Destezet was founded by Hervé Souhaut in 1993. Hervé has holdings across both the Northern Rhone and Southern l'Ardeche. Souhaut follows the principles of leading natural wine advocates, Jules Chauvet - whole bunches, utilising carbonic maceration at low temps, wild yeasts etc. 

Souhaut seeks "to extract a delicate balance of tannins from the grapes, to make a wine with subtlety and finesse" - the Syrah is a wine I've longed to taste

Initially bright, berry driven aromatics - the carbonic ferment there; with time - lavender, cassis, violets - background hints of char, bacon fat and perhaps even a little ash. It's inviting, pretty, for me - something I wanted to drink and savour.

Plum skins, black fruit, ever-so-sligh rub of tannin, the tang of a little sour fruit - juicy, more-ish. Again, something I wanted to consume - with gusto. With time, you see a touch more of that Rhone pan juice and meat.

It's a wine to drink - not classically 'great' in the critical sense, or of a length to consider the same. It's a compelling drinking proposition - and a beautifully proportioned one at a mere 11.3%. Drink I did. 90

Tasted on: Friday 20th February, a Flower day
Source: Retail, Craft Red Hill
Price: $65
Alcohol: 11.3%
Website: Importer

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Chateau Rieussec Grand Cru Sauternes 1989

Chateau Rieussec Grand Cru Sauternes 1989

  14:33    Stu.

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Classified as a Grand Cru estate in the great 1855 Classification. Since 1984, Ch.Rieussec has been owned by the Domaines Baron de Rothschild, the owners of Chateau Lafite. This vintage was the first produced in the new winery funded as part of that acquisition.

At 25, it's just hitting its stride. Honeyed, apricot, caramel edges. Smells dense, aged, and most of all inviting.

Offers more of the same on the palate, yet in concentration. Dried apricot, honey, toffee. A superb wine that's dense, length in abundance and concludes on that toffee note. In short: amazing. A true experience. 94

Tasted on: Thursday 1st January, a Fruit to Root day 
Source: Gift
Price: £17 p/b approx (Auction price in 2005)
Alcohol: ?
Closure: Cork
Website: http://www.lafite.com/fr/les-chateaux/chateau-rieussec/

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Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 2011

Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 2011

  13:35    Stu.

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The importer of this wine is thankful that the producer doesn't live in Burgundy. So am I. I'd been keen to try this for a while, promptly securing a bottle when I finally found it at a retail store in Brisbane. Contrary to what other addicts may do, the thrill of securing a small piece of such a consumable product was enough, leaving this bottle to gently rest in the sanctity of the wine fridge. But there comes a time, a moment when such an item calls, its lure can be resisted no longer.

At a time when many wines receive glowing, effusive reviews - and scores in the mid-high 90s - I felt a curious combination of guilt and vulgarity at awarding this wine a mere 95 points. A wine attracting such an award should be considered world class, a claim I'd be happy to stand behind here. However, draw from my confession what you will.

Opens to funk, meat/charcuterie; earthen beetroot, florals, cherry pie and fresh cracked pepper. Possesses a velvet like entry, excellent dense cherry fruit; structured, moving to a mineral laden and firmer core, acid aiding and abetting length. 

And oh what length it has - so impressive in its sustain. A wine that straddles a line, a double-helix of firmness and elegance. 95

Tasted on: Saturday 25th October
Source: Retail, Craft Red Hill
Price: $60ish
Alcohol: ?
Closure: Cork
Importer Website: http://www.andrewguard.com.au/

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Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010

  12:52    Stu.

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Comes in a lovely embossed regional bottle. From there my love diminished.

Opens well: hedgerow, herb/garrigue, lovely savoury-woody spice with dusty earthen notes over a little red fruit. Medium bodied, hints of mineral, licorice - fruit a little lacking on the palate.

Medium intensity, reasonable savoury length - yet it lost its way quickly, life and vitality sadly ebbing away from it. OK, my money would be much better spent elsewhere. 89

Tasted on: Saturday 9th August, a Fruit Day 
Source: Retail
Price: $70ish
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://www.famillequiot.com/

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Terres Dorées l'Ancien Le Buissy 2009

Terres Dorées l'Ancien Le Buissy 2009

  21:37    Stu.

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We're talking Beaujolais here, so fruit is drawn from the Beaujolais area, but not from within one of the ten named Crus (as with this Morgon from producer Jean-Paul Brun, owner of the Terres Dorées domain).

This wine is produced from fruit off of 70-odd year old vines - good going - and elevage is in five year old barriques, it's about letting that old vine character shine through.

Shows a cherry, a little blackberry and florals on the nose, however it is the palate where the wine's character is best exhibited. Citrussy tang on first introduction, then chalky tannin and a little mineral early; the wine shows a complex mix of texture, acod and fruit - somewhat at odds with what many see as the easy going nature of Beaujolais.

The finish is sustained, a little almond in the mix over time, but simply put the wine is a joy to savour and drink. 91 - Very Good
 
Tasted on: Sunday 16th June, a Fruit Day
Source: http://www.livingwines.com.au
Price: $33
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Cork

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Egly-Ouriet Vignes de Vrigny 1er NV

Egly-Ouriet Vignes de Vrigny 1er NV

  21:48    Stu.

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Non-vintage premier cru juice from 100% Pinot Meunier fruit, vines approaching their half-century. Bready, yeasty with a hint of marmite, background stonefruit and meal.

Bold and intense, mineral quality evident, full and rounded with a creamy palate. Dry, only 3g/l dosage, shows the power and depth of Pinot Meunier - and possibly why it is normally a component of a blend. Lacking a little finesse.

Length is moderate to long, pretty bold. 90 - Good

Tasted on: Thursday 14th February, Leaf Day (sadly not a Root Day)
Source: Retail, Champagne Gallery
Price: $85
Alcohol:?
Closure: Cork
Importer Website: http://www.bibendum.com.au/Egly-Ouriet/

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Terres Dorées Morgon 2010

Terres Dorées Morgon 2010

  16:31    Stu.

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Fresh, hints of cassis and violets, background stone-fruit and citrus tones present too. Morgon is one of the ten Crus of Beaujolais and J-P Brun’s example – natural yeasts, minimal additions - shows a lovely contrast between aromatic freshness and palate depth. 

In the mouth we see the common charcuterie, here with flecks of spice. There’s vibrant spice throughout, backed up with a little drying rub of fine tannin. 92 - Very Good 

Tasted on: Tuesday 5th February, a Leaf Day 
Source: Purchase from Importer
Price: $33
Alcohol:12%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://www.livingwines.com.au

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Domaine du Crampilh Madiran 2006

Domaine du Crampilh Madiran 2006

  21:20    Stu.

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Oak/ vanillin and hints of violet, a little dried herb, new leather, polish and bordered with a little licorice. Madiran is a small appellation in France's South-West - butting up toward the Pyrenees mountain range.

Sounds a rather stunning place, if a little wild, somewhat contrasting with the smooth and glass-like intro this wine provides. Plenty of tapenade and herb on the palate. Brown spices and black licorice - but, some sweeter accents too, rose and black fruits.

Tannats grainy tannin are still present, albeit tamed a little by time and the technique of micro-oxidation. Serve with, and this wine is most deserving of, a rather hearty and meaty dish. 89 - Good  

Tasted on: Saturday 29th December, a Flower Day
Source:Retail, The Wine Emporium
Price: $29
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Cork
Importer's Website: http://www.discovervin.com.au/

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Domaine de la Garreliere Gamay Sans Tra-La-La 2011

Domaine de la Garreliere Gamay Sans Tra-La-La 2011

  22:05    Stu.

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Gamay is going to be big. Take it from me, I have my finger on the pulse and a commercial palate. Whilst I may be (a little more than) half joking, when well made it can have this joyful exuberance, whilst at the same time posessing a little depth for thought.

Located near Richeliu, south of Tours and fairly close to Chinon, the vines of Domaine de la Garreliere are Biodynamically farmed. South-East facing aspect atop limestone and clay. Yields at 40l/hectare are much lower compared to the regional norm of around 60l/ha - a good qualitative indicator. 

Sour cherry and brambly notes. In the mouth, it's tart - a compote of black fruit with a hint of sourness. Rises in a peak of spice, black pepper and mace hints, with an earthen depth. Completed with a fantastic line of acid.

Lively and fun - could quite easily smash a fair bit of this down. Not a particularly lengthy wine, but i considered that of little issue given its temporal nature. 89 Good



Tasted on: Friday 28th December, a Flower Day
Source: Living Wines
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Cork
Website: http://www.garreliere.com

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Terres Dorées Moulin a Vent 2010

Terres Dorées Moulin a Vent 2010

  21:13    Stu.

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Moulin a Vent is one of Beaujolais's ten named crus, and Terres Dorées is the Estate of Jean-Paul Brun, a winemaker focussed on more traditional methods of wine production, against the prevailing use of cultured yeasts and chaptalization.

Wines from the cru are generally regarded as those that are expected to be the longest lived, the most concentrated - somewhat atypical of most Beaujolais the wine fancier may be familiar with.

Initially juice and fresh, berry fruit aromatics (cherry, and blueberry) with florals, hints of wood - sandalwood - and spice.  Think a used cinnamon stick, not the sweetness of the cinnamon, the woody latent spice instead.  Secondary deeper characters, meaty and savoury, make themselves known with time.

Light on entry - ethereal, at risk of incurring the wrath of the twitterati - a little earthen, berry fruit and yet savoury depth.  There's black fruit present, leafy character and pleasing drying mouthfeel.  Tannin is drying, leafy, providing generous length.  91 - Very Good

Tasted on: Thursday 13th December, a Leaf Day
Source: http://www.livingwines.com.au/
Price: $37
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Cork

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