The Vinsomniac - Stuart Robinson

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This Australian wine blog was formerly known as thewinewankers.com

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Friday, 31 December 2010

Cabernet Merlot by Brad 2008

  14:28    

Perception can be a dangerous thing.  I have this image of "Brad" (based purely on his twitter stream) as a cool, surf riding dude who, whilst often falling foul of his partner Becky, manages to knock out some top notch well packaged wines in his spare time.  When he is not seeing off Great White Sharks at the local beach that is.

I really like wines like this.  Very good easy drinking.  The nose speaks to me more of the Merlot side of things: plummy, mulberry, jammy Merlot notes with a hint of tobacco.  The palate a medium bodied mix of blackcurrant and chocolate.  

It's a perfect segue to a slightly dusty finish; cedar, spice and fine dry tannins that speak of the Cabernet part of the deal.  Not excessively lengthy, but good get-around-a-table drinking.

Source: Gift
Price: $18ish
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.winebybrad.com.au/

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  2 Comments

Karra Yerta Eden Valley Riesling 2006

  11:34    

A wine tasting fail.

Before I explain myself, I must say that this is nigh the perfect Australian Riesling: a greenish hue to a core of gold.

Now, I opened this one night and just shared a glass with the good lady, taking some new Riedels she had gifted me for a spin.  I didn't take any notes, thinking I would revisit the following day.

However, on revisiting the following lunch time, I found that it had lost a little of its edge on the palate.  Thus this note is a combination of memory and the notes I took on day 2.

The aroma is typical varietal lime. delicate apple blossom juxtaposed against a harder crunchy edge.  Entry, as I remember it, showed more of that steely crunch and some granny smith apple.  The finish was a good lengthy acid.  The aroma stayed with the wine over the two days, the palate showing a little more apple and a little citrus edge.  It was really the finish and back palate that had lost it for me.  

I'm disappointed, really with myself, as this was a brilliant wine the first night.  In retrospect, that is what matters I imagine - the fact that I had shared a god wine with a loved one.

One for now I would say rather than lengthy cellaring.

Source: Cellar Door at Collective Barossa
Price: $25
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.karrayertawines.com.au/

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  3 Comments

Thursday, 30 December 2010

David Franz Old Redemption x.o.

  14:45    

I love wine stories.  David Franz Lehmann is one of the sons of Barossan legend Peter Lehmann.  David has had a rather interesting career; graphic designer being one of them and this shows in the beautiful packaging that all his wines are renowned for.  The beauty doesn't stop on the outside of the bottle.

This is the perfect Christmas wine for me in so far as I don't actually like Christmas Pudding - this a brilliant liquid substitute.  Much paler than I was expecting - but then I suppose you would say it was tawny. 

The immediate aroma is of raisins and candided fruit; the palate caramel, cinnamon and Christmas Pudding itself.  It has a treacly silken mouthfeel.  Top stuff.

Price: $37.99
Closure: Diam
Website: http://www.david-franz.com/

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  No Comments

Teusner Avatar 2005

  14:37    

I opened this for my wife the day after Boxing Day, she was looking for something "good" and knowing her fondness for Barossan beauties, I pulled this number out.

This was a perfect example of how a good decant can help a slightly older wine shake off its cobwebs and really show itself off to its true strengths.

Initially it was earthen aromas with a background of sweet Barossan fruit, the palate a mix of stewed red fruits on the palate.  The finish was spicy, more specifically a quatre-epice mix; it was spice that lingered.

Once it had opened up though the palate changed,  the spice settling down for some vanilla and coconutty oak coming through; the finish altogether much more gentle.

Source: Retail, Grand Central Cellars
Price: $40
Closure: Cork
Website:www.teusner.com.au

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  2 Comments

Dutschke Gods Hill Road Four Vineyards 2005 Shiraz

  08:48    

Suffice to say I'd never really known what "funkiness" was in wines, or more specifically what a writer was referring to when it was referenced in a tasting note.

On Christmas Day my wife and I cracked a Witches Falls 2006 Syrah (see previous post) and the immediate aroma was of sulphur.  The following day, Boxing Day, I opened this wine and experienced the same thing.  Through further research I found a useful website which offered some background on understanding how the "funky" aroma can present itself.  Useful reading indeed for me as a wine student.

Once I'd decanted this wine and given it a good 20-30 minutes, it settled down.  Vanilla on immediate entry followed by some warmth/ spice.  In the mouth, smooth and plummy; the finish all spice and fruit coming through.

Source: Retail, Purple Palate
Price: $?
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.dutschkewines.com/

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  No Comments

Sunday, 26 December 2010

Christmas Day Wines Round-Up

  11:52    

Being a 1 grand Pom (10 pounds adjusted for inflation and about the cost of a flight these days), I find it hard to discard the need to have a full on roast dinner for Christmas.

That said, eating in our household is all about over-catering and focussing on Boxing Day where we eat Boxing Day Pie - a pie made from left over Christmas dinner ingredients.  Not to be missed.

Here's a round-up of the wine consumed round our way.

Parker Estate Terra Rossa First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
In my limited experience of tasting, I love Coonawarra Cabernet - I really feel I can taste the lovely Terra Rossa soil.  This is no exception.  A lovely heady aroma of beautiful brambly red fruits and quality oak - that wonderful cedary cigar box aroma.  On the palate the oak gives a fine spice on the fore palate that expresses itself as a drying finish with fine tannins.  More black fruits on the follow through.  A winemakers' wine, could easily live for another 5-10 years.

Peter Lehmann The Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz 2001 (Disgorged 2008)
Plummy richness on the nose, the quality of the fruit shining through already.  On the palate, chocolate - with a generous mix of fruit coming through again.  The finish is yeasty, not quite the 'biscuity' finish of a good champagne.  Again, more plummy notes, earthen on the extreme length.

Witches Falls 2006 Granite Belt Syrah
Immediate aroma is highly reductive, sulphur and a tad of cordite (I love the smell of cordite in the morning!).  It settled down after about 20-30 minutes to present a coffee-ish note.  On the palate, plummy spice on a medium body.  The finish shows more of that spice to the end.

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  No Comments

Thursday, 23 December 2010

Ashton Hills Vineyard 2008 Pinot Noir Estate

  08:45    

I had the privilege of participating in what I termed a "Cultural Exchange" with Chris Plummer of the Australian Wine Journal.  Chris had commented on one of my previous posts, for a rather unmemorable wine, that he had been yearning to try some Queensland for a while now.  My end of the deal a Robert Channon Verdelho, in return I receive this.  Chris wins.

First up, I tasted this far too young, but like a small child, when you are gifted something so exciting, you want to open it.  Initially it was very closed wine and only really opened up after an hour or two in the decanter, but it really settled down on Day 2.

Aromas of dark cherry and some meats lead to a gentle spice on the palate.  Over time, as the wine opened up, it also presented earthy, meaty, savoury notes that had me earning for some charcuterie.  Initially, the finish presented some Kalamata Olive, but this soon made way for more of that gentle spice - possibly a sign from some good quality oak treatment.

This is, without doubt, a well crafted wine.  A premier example of Australian Pinot - this example even winning "Best Pinot Noir' at the Australian Cool Climate Wine Show.  I'm certain drinking now didn't do it justice.  This is #aplus booze, and winemaker Stephen George a master craftsman.

Source: Gift
Price: $40
Closure: Screwcap

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  1 Comment

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