Cooks Lot Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Cooks Lot Sauvignon Blanc 2014

  10:40    Stu.

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Tropicals clearly evident here: passionfruit fore, a little mango sorbet aft. Touch of lemon thyme and possibly some Thai basil.

Lively, zesty entry; zippy, zingy and lively on entry - a touch of chalky pucker. Fades on the middle-back, showing a bit four-square, water-colour wash.

Moerate length, think grilled barra fillets with a little mango salsa on the side. 87

Tasted on: Saturday 14th February, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $18
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.cookslot.com.au/

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Giesen Wines The Fuder Matthews Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Giesen Wines The Fuder Matthews Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2012

  08:21    Stu.

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Prepare to see Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc through a different lens.

Giesen is one of the older New Zealand wine companies, and in Australia it is the second largest distributor of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Marcel Giesen, one of three brothers involved in the running of the company, is driving a push towards limited production runs, to doing things a little differently.

Here, 'The Fuder' is so named after a 1000L German barrel. The wine in question spends one year in oak, 50% of that is new. Total production is 2000L, or 220 cases.

Carries its regional marker, albeit fine tuned: snow pea, gooseberry and aromatic herb - thyme, a suggestion of pan-tossed nuts.

The palate is a wine of contrast, layered - descending into the depths. At first ethereal, a featherlight touch to it, a sense of fragility akin to fine porcelain; the barrel character that follows is at striking odds to that intro: layered, complex, spice.

Has length, and then some, spice and acid work here in unison to give substance, presence, power. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc re-thought.

Tasted on: Saturday 14th February, a Leaf to Fruit day
Source: Sample
Price: $49.99
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://giesen.co.nz/

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Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy Teroldego 2013

Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy Teroldego 2013

  21:37    Stu.

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Pours a vibrant, bright magenta rimmed wine into the glass.

Savoury, Italianate feel, chinotto - herb, wood, black fruits.

Supple, juicy - bright acidity and red fruit juiciness. Easy and fun to drink in youth - i enjoyed using the acidity here to pair with a ragu. 

Length is OK, more about the fun and frivolity in the middle for me. The acid and fruit will happily see this cellar over the short to medium term, suggest 5-8 years.

Tasted on: Wednesday 11th February, a Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.handcraftedbygeoffhardy.com.au/

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Willow Bridge Estate Dragonfly Shiraz 2013

Willow Bridge Estate Dragonfly Shiraz 2013

  21:03    Stu.

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Delicious length here on this wine, with tannin that's fine-grained and veering toward a graphite profile, you'd have yourself doing a double-take at the suggested retail price.

Char, toffee, a little caramelised sweetness to lead-in. Medium bodied, smooth - easy, unforced with plum and black fruit adding an easy going entry. Tannin profile is as you'd possible see in a wine 50-100% the price.

Whatever winemaker Simon Burnell and team are doing, long may it continue. 92

Tasted on: Thursday 12th February, a Flower to Leaf day 
Source: Sample
Price: $18
Alcohol: 13.1%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.willowbridge.com.au/

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View Road Wines Shiraz 2013

View Road Wines Shiraz 2013

  20:44    Stu.

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Powerful, fudge sundae, a little residual fruit sweetness, briar, fruits of the forest. Unmistakably Sellicks foothills/ coastal McLaren Vale, with its big, ballsy, up-front style.

There's a touch of ripeness present, not overtly so, but - alcohol levels unsighted - it's got to be nudging 15. There's a touch of burn/heat, but I like it. Tannin is melded nicely in the wine and it concludes with a cocoa and licorice medley that just reeled me in for more. 

Utterly delicious in its style. The Mrs was a touch more effusive than I. Words not fit for public mind.

Tasted on: Thursday 12th February, a Flower to Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $37
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://viewroadwines.com.au/ (Josh's version of the sagrada familia)

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Some Young Punks Monsters Monsters Attack Riesling 2013

Some Young Punks Monsters Monsters Attack Riesling 2013

  20:25    Stu.

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Purchased this with the express intent of pairing it with a favoured chilli prawn dish of the household.

Offers more in the fleshy tropical fruit spectrum than what you'd expect from a traditional dry Clare Riesling.

Textural spread, the sugar adds width and a broad fleshy spread on entry. Citrus more prevalent, comes across as a syrupy fruit salad when confronted with a little spice - sadly lacking there. Actually preferred this as a stand-alone wine, unable to take the heat, I took it out of the kitchen into the lounge. 89

Tasted on: Friday 13th, a Leaf Day
Source: Retail, Grand Central Cellars
Price: $20
Alcohol: 10.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.someyoungpunks.com.au/

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Brash Higgins FRNC Cabernet Franc 2014

Brash Higgins FRNC Cabernet Franc 2014

  21:05    Stu.

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Despite purposefully opening this to go with a slow roast lamb shoulder (admittedly on its second run in Le Creuset - long story), a sniff of its wild herb, underlying red fruit, with a little lavender and purple florals, had me wanting a good haunch of venison. 

Love how something as simple as an aroma (or a sound, a snippet of text flashing back into the memory, a photo) can take you back to a place visited long ago...

Here we have excellent varietal character: leafy, red fruit, a suggestion of mint even; lithe, good cut to it, a gentle meander around the palate with a chalky feel, balance of acid on the back of a good length. 91

Tasted on: Monday 9th February, a Root day
Source: Retail, Cru Bar + Cellar
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.brashhiggins.com/

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