Chrismont, Sangiovese 2004, King Valley, ($17)

After the big let down of Chrismont's marzemino 2004 a couple of months ago I wasn't overly optimistic about this one. So it came as a really nice surprise to drink this earthy, woody and fragrant sangiovese. Very different from the other sangiovese's I've had and pleasurably so. Medium to full bodied in an interestingly aged way. Return visit recommended.

Wines of 2008

White Wine of the Year
The Gap, Chardonnay, 2004, Grampians ($17)

Shiraz of The Year
Mount Cole Wineworks, Shiraz 2004, Grampians
McClay Road, Shiraz,, 2005, Beechworth
Winner: Saint Joseph 2006, Cotes de Rhone, France

Pinot Noir of the Year
Winner: Pennon Hill, 2003, Mornington Penisula
Paringa Estate, Estate Pinot Noir, 2003 & 2002, Mornington Peninsula
Red Hill Estate Classic Release, 2003, Mornington Peninsula

Giant Steps Sexton, Harry Monster 2004 (Bordeaux Blend), Yarra Valley ($45)

All tasting of this wine at Giant Steps have been favourable, with great balance, weight and complexity. This was my second tasting of this at home. Admittedly, coming off the back of the sublime Paranga Estate '02 Pinot it was always going to be a gard act to follow. While it did need more air (on hindsight possible 2 hours required) it felt rough after Paringa. Still, a lot going on. Worth $45? Not so sure now. Ashton Hills comes in at $25, and Boat of Craigo at $20 or so possibly represents a better value while trading off an acceptable amount of complexity.

Paringa Estate, Estate Pinot Noir 2002, Mornington Peninsula ($35 at auction)

Wunderbar. Exellent balance and great finish. Possibly slightly shaded by the '03 we drank a few weeks ago, but only by the most marginal of factors. Flavour spanning the whole mouth. Even got plaudits from my non-pinot loving sister. High praise indeed.

Old vs New World Battle of the Shiraz: McClay Rd 2006, Beechworth ($35) v Saint Joseph 2006, Cotes du Rhone, France ($24)

McClay Rd 2005 had to one of my top wines of 2008. The 2006 delivered too with focussed ripe black fruits driving straight down the middle of the palate. Good finish. Lovely stuff. The thing it was dwarfed by the Saint Joseph. I simply didn't know syrah could be like this. It shimmered in delicate light tones that I have simply never ever tasted before in this grape. Silk. Tesco in the UK are now discounting this at AUD12 per bottle. It's distressing that this wine has single-handedly blown every shiraz I've ever had to bits. A privilege to drink.

Paternoster Estate, Premium Pinot Noir 2001, Blue Dandenongs ($45)

Paternoster is couched in the Dandenongs on a steep slope. So I was hoping this was good pinot country - cool winds and lots of sunlight. This wine was quite full bodied by pinot standards with interesting spicy notes. However is was the sultana notes that dominated and simply left one dissatisfied. Maybe the grapes were overripe. A profound disappointment.

Louis Jadot, Combe aux Jacques, Beaujolais Village 2007 ($??)

A lovely wine this, gentle, and not in the lest overbearing. Gentler still than the Pennyweight gamay this was very smooth, balanced, and light. Only a hint of something darker on the mid-palate. Very enjoyable.

Paringa Estate, Peninsula Shiraz 2004, Mornington Peninsula ($21 auction)

A profound disappointment of a wine. One simply expects from a Paranga, and in the end this delviered little to differentiate it from the $10 bottle crowd.

Paringa Estate, Estate Pinot Noir 2003, Mornington Peninsula ($36 at auction)

With a delicate earthy and feintly fungal bouquet this wine delivers a lovely long finish across the entire palate.  A deeply satisfying wine in the medium to heavier bodied category of pinot.  I must admint I preferred the lighter and more mushroomy style that Pennon Hill 2003 or Pennyweight 2005 delivered, but this wine remains excellent drinking at excellent value.  I'd make a detour to be able to drink this again.

Pennon Hill 2003, Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula ($20-something)

Pennon Hill is the second label of Montalto in the Mornington Peninsula.  This was a very nice wine indeed, at the medium/lighter end of pinot - which I like -  with and lovely mushroom/fungal aromas reminiscent of Pennyweight 2005 though perhaps not as ethereal.   Excellent balance.  A total pleasure to drink. 

Chrismont 2004, Marzemino, King Valley ($17)

Needed about 40 mins airing to flush out the tannins, before leaving a smooth wine with nice acidity and sweetness at the edge of the palate, but little in the mid-palate and little length to the finish.  A little bit of a disappointment given we enjoyed the cellar door tastings so much in 2005.

Pennyweight 2006, Pinot Noir, Beechworth ($30)

Given the 2005 pinot was one of the best I've ever had from anywhere, the expectation applied to 2006 is that much greater. In terms of style the 2006 is very different. It tastes like it has been aged for several years, yet this is only an '06. Secondardy flavours are present and little in the way of the acidity you get from a young pinot. Nor is there much of the young fruit.

The winemaker proundly told me it was his best pinot ever. This is good - we drank it straight after the Tin Cows wine that is in my previous blog entry - and was rounded with more potency than the Tin Cows.

Personally, I preferred the '05. However, the quality of this wine guarantees that I'll still be heading for Pennyweight's cellar door.

Tin Cows 2002, Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley ($18)

OMG: an aged pinot from a reputatble producer purchased from a major liquor store chain under $20. Can this really be?

Yes, it can. Hurrah!

And quite a nice drop too. Some of the stewed cherry flavours you'd expect from an aged pinot though not as intense as many. Good smooth flavour. Drank very well by itself, though when matched against a cheddar the acidity became a little more pronounced - so I'd say it is b etter by itself. So here we finally have it - a quaffable aged pinot under $20. Hurrah!

Heathcote Velvet, Sangiovese, Heathcote ($15)

This is on the heavier end of sangiovese's. Very well balanced with good flavour in all parts of the mouth. This can be drunk by itself or with food. Deep cherry I think with a bit of raspberry on the finish. At $15 this is very good value.

D'Angelo 2001, Aglianico del Vulture, Italy ($33)

Well I'd seen a whole load of hype about Aglianico del Vulture. Though not lifechanging this was a really, really nice drop of vino. It had all those things in a wine that make are so identifiably Italian without all the sour unbalanced bits. This was nicely balanced stuff with nice woody and finely tannined qualities. Drank well by itself and with barbecued food. The aroma nicely concentrated and made the wine seem more alcohoic tan its 13%. And it was refreshingly nice to get back to 13%. To this day I can't see the point of going higher. Buy (from Enoteca on Lygon Street) and enjoy.

Saint Cosme 2007, Cotes-du-Rhone, France ($15)

Best Rhone if had while in Australia with good balance and medium to high weight. I got a crushed juniper thing going on in the bouquet. Not sure I'd buy again. It knocked Pat out and had a good go at doing the same to me as well. Not distinct enough to make me buy it as an unpatriotic non-Aussie wine.

Macchiarossa 2003, probably montepulciano, Molise Rosso DOC, Italy ($19.99)

Picked this up from Enoteca on Lygon Street. I was waiting for this to be almost undrinkably robust, and was quite surprised by how this was really fairly smooth. The dominant aroma is that of cigar box. I found the mouthfeel inoffensive but slightly weak across the palate so it didn't fully deliver in all departments. The flavour set made it a nice departure from the Aussie wines.

Liquorland Cleanskin Western Australian white ($9.95)

I really liked this. I'd hazard a guess that it was a sauvignon blanc/semillon blend as it had a floral aspect and a wash of refreshing acidity. The acidity and minerality is something that I like a lot, though we got some peach coming through on the nose. I'd happily buy this again. Very nice.

De Bortoli 'Sero', Merlot Sangiovese 2006, King Valley ($11)

Reminiscent of what a chianti ought to be but seldom actually is. Here the merlot providing a density and evenness to this wine but making ti pay the price of removing a lot of that refreshing lightness that a straight sangiovese would have had. I got black cherry coming from this wine gave it some darkness. Drank well straight from the bottle. At $11 was good value and just a little bit different from the usual stuff at this price point.

The Story, Shiraz 2005, Grampians ($19.99)

Wow! After all the hullaballoo about this from Halliday and other worthies I was happy to get hold of this (from Boccaccio Cellars on Burke Road, Balwyn North). Lovely. Very concentrated blackberry ripping right through the palate delivering in every department. A bit of pepper (maybe?) on the nose but not at all to the extent that Mount Cole Wineworks Shiraz (another fave of mine this year) delivers. Can't belive Halliday only gave this 90/100. He reckons of '06 was '96/100. Boccaccio also has that. Got to get it. Buy this wine.

King's Creek, Chardonnay 2007, Mornington Peninsula ($18)

Kiwi fruit on the nose and a nice oily texture. Clean and well made, and differnt to the 'usual chardonnay'. Repeat buy.

Thomas & Thomas Pinot Noir 2004, Adelaide Hills ($15)

For a moment I was getting my hopes up. Was I about to find my Holy Grail?....a nice pinot noir for under $20. If any region was going to deliver the goods it was going to be either Geelong or Adelaide Hills. And again I find my hopes dashed. You see, there is nothing wrong with this wine, but 12 hours after drinking some it it I can't remember anything that distinguishes it either. Slightly sour and fuller bodied than many Aussie pinots it was balanced and ....er....that's all can be written about it. Not much. No return visit. Next.

Box Stallion, Tempranillo 2005, Mornington Peninsula ($45)

Was good robust stuff when tasted at the winery and was better again from the bottle at home.  Not needing airing time it quaffed well, and took to our chorizo based meal nicely too.  The robust tannins that came through at the winery were less prevalent.  Not so strong on the nose but some plum and chocolate action when imbibbing.  $45 is a steep price - I felt this would have been a good $30 buy, but I'll stop there before I go onto my traditional rant of Mornington Peninsula wines being generally overpriced.  Damn!  Just said it!

Pennyweight Gamay 2006, Beechworth (~$10 at auction)

User-friendly stuff.  Still a touch of acidity but nothing offensive.  Light and fruity with some red fruit thing going on on the palate - red cherries I think.   Good value for the price.

Dromana Estate, Shiraz Viognier 2005, Mornington Peninsula ($22)

At $22 probably at the top end of what can tenably called 'everyday drinking' wine - and I'm not sure many would go as high up as $22. Nonetheless this is good quaffing stuff drinking straight from the bottle without the need to air. Inevitably I would compare this with the $9 Yalumba Y series shiraz viognier and the $16 Innocent Bystander offering. Certainly Dromana's has better balance that Yalumba's and less acidity making it more pleasant. And it has less tannin than Innocent Bystander's offering meaning it does not require airing. The bouquet was not strong, but the mouthfeel was nice, thick and rounded in all areas in that way you would hope a shiraz viognier would be. We drank this in Dromana's restaurant so at $22 a good price for a bottle. A safe crowd pleaser.

McClay Road (Giaconda), Shiraz 2005, Beechworth ($20 at auction, $35 new)

What a beauty! The smell, the mouthfeel, the whole kit and caboodle. Lovely stuff and at $20 a steal. At the retail price of $35 still a good wine. For me, a hint of dark cherry when drunk by itself, maybe other red fruit when eaten with blue cheese. Easy the drink and go, go, go. I'd raved about Mount Cole Shiraz a few weeks ago. This is completely different. I'm tempted to give Mt Cole the edge but this is still formidable stuff. Awesome - a pleasure to drink.

Yrsa's Vineyard, Ursa Major Pinot Noir 2003, Mornington Peninsula ($13 at auction)

2003 pinot should be a nice drop by now with secondary flavours taking their rightful throne. The Red Hill Estate stuff I had two months ago showed the way - thick, unctuous, powerful and even. By comparison this offering pales by comparison, not having anything like the lushness of flavour or the punch that Red Hill had across the whole (or any part of the) palate. So at $13 we ended up with a drinkable wine, but not one you'd think of buying again even at $13. I'm told the 2004 was heaps better. Missable.

Brown Magpie, Shiraz 2006, Geelong,($27)

In my book Geelong region is representing great value wines. Wines costing $20 from this region would be well over $30 from the increasingly over-priced Mornington Peninsula. This wine was recommended when I went to the Fed Square Victorian Regional Wine Showcase and it wowed. Well integrated and smooth across the whole palate. There is some depth coming from dark fruit. Those nose is lovely. Great value, and will be better in 6 months time as that incy-wincy bit of acidity from youth mellows out. Buy if you can. Will be trying the 2005 tomorrow.

Nangwarry Station, Pinot Noir 2005, Mt Gambier ($22)

A good value pinot for drinking now. It was difficult to see how this might improve with ageing as it was already well integrated in an uncomplicated kind of way. Yet, it avoided being pinot jam type stuff. Great to drink by itself and good for social occassions. I drank it while on the overnight train with two Belgians. Since one can hardly ever get drinkable pinot under $30, this was good value for money. Much better than the Kono I reviewed a few weeks ago.

Mount Cole Wineworks, Shiraz 2004, Grampians ($22)

I won this bottle. Woo-hoo!!!! Any good? You bet. A shirz with some considerable individuality and is a far departure for the tyranny of Barossa style & alcohol levels shiraz. This was about as mineral and cool climate as you can get. Nicely balanced tannins across the whole palate. I loved this wine by itself, or with a soft cheese. The austerity of this stuff was a joy. At $22 a good buy, but won't please the easy drinking barbie crowd.

Mr. Riggs, Tempranillo 2006, Adelaide Hills ($27)

Three days before drinking this I became a total Adelaide Hills convert while visiting Ashton Hill winery. This is a nicely balanced cool climate tempranillo, quaffable too. Would be good value at sub $20, so I think $27 is too much.

Red Hill Estate Classic Pinot Noir 2003, Mornington Peninsula ($17)

Bought on offer from Red Hill Estate. At $17 this is a steal. You can see and taste the age on this now. The orangey/yellow rim on the wine gives it away even though the thick plum colour it falls into conveys the notion of the power to come. And the taste? Well, much of the primary fruit has given over to the secondary flavours of stewed cherries etc.. typical of pinot. I confess I'm only just getting used to those flavours. But this wine is well integrated, no sharp edges to the taste. Smooth as anything. I drank well from the bottle with little need to air. A delight.

Best value wine of the year to date. Wished I bought more - much, much more.

Kono, Pinot Noir, 2006, Marlborough, New Zealand ($13)

Well, getting a new $13 pinot noir that is even drinkable is a challenge nowadays. My previous two or three attempts were acidic disasters. Other bloggers have slated this wine. Howver, I think this wine is okay, not life changing, but okay. Nice balance and palpably un-Australian. There were some darker notes on the plate than most of the Aussies and they reminded me ever-so-slightly of the Kiwi pnot's I tasted at the Cool Climate Wine Show - though without the power or intensity of those wine show entrants. This is not a powerful, and is open to teh accusation of beign watery by all those shiraz drinkers. But I like that less powered taste. I don't always want my head blown to pieces by a mega-power red. Very quaffable, but may not stand up to food too well. Pat had a few sips and claimed to have a headache from it next morning. I had a few glasses and was okay.

Arrogant Frog, 'Ribet Red' 2006, Languedoc, France ($9.90)

Got a rave review from The Age: Epicure. This is another attempt of mine to get a good-but-interesting wine under $10. This is well balanced and quaffed well while could still be drunk with food. It tasted slightly 'Italian' to me - don't know the wine words for this flavour, but I've had millions of Italian wines with that very idiosyncratic taste. Personally, I'm not huge on it - but it was good of its type. The Argentinian Santa Julia malbec is a better wine with food and cheaper too.

Pierro, Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001, , Margaret River (circa $60)

Drank a bottle of this about 6 months ago and wrote loads of waffle about cerebral wines. the key to getting tis wine going was air - and lots of it. Opened out nicely to be a nice smooth restrained Bordeaux style wine. Went down very well with stilton cheese. Now need to polish off the last two bottles of it.

Tucks Ridge, Pinot Noir 2004, Mornington Peninsula

The latest vintage of this retails at $39 a bottle from the vineyard, so it was interesting to see what one with bottle age would be like (it was won at auction). Well, poor and unbalanced. A big wash of acidity just ruined the whole thing. At times it even tasted too young. Avoid.

Santa Julia, Malbec, Argentina ($7.90)

Needed a little while in the decanter to open up a bit. tannic and needed food. Not a quaffing wine. But tasted great with beef which helped deal with the tannin. At $7.90 - recommended.

Savaterre Pinot Noir 2004, Beechworth, VIC ($$$)

Totally wow! Beautiful balance, attaining that wonderful ethereal quality that the one in a hundred pinots get...like Main Ridge can do...but managing to put put more weight behind it. A totally amazing bottle.