Port Philip Estate, Pinot Noir 2002, Mornington Peninsula ($?)

One of the first wines I bought in this country. An excellent wine, not too overpowering. A bouquet with ome stewed cherry, but with dome dark raspberry and red fruit still present. There wasa a slight fungal aroma for a while too that passed. The flavour was at the medium concentration end - pitched perfectly for my taste. A very enjoyable wine, and probably the best pinot noir I had this calendar year.

Tardieu & Laurent, 'Coteaux' 2005, Cornas, Northern Rhone, France ($76)

A deep colour reinforcing a concentrated bouquet. Black fruits and plum on top of cedar. Very good concentration and balance on the palate and a good finish. We had our good quaffing Barossa shiraz after this and it tasted rough compared to this Cornas. A very, very, good wine indeed.

Foradori, Teroldego Rataliano 2000, Trentino, Italy ($40 auction)

You could smell the bottle age. Cedar, viotet and vanilla. Very smooth on the mouth with interesting subdued flavours. Vert Italian. Enjoyed...but Pat didn't.

Massoni, Barbera 2003 ($20)

Oh my God. A total steal. A total steal. Great balance and a very individaul and complex taste. Could help but think of olives while drinking this. This is beautiful wine, which if you can go to 6J's in Prahan to purchase, is a must-do.

Bleasdale, Frank Potts (Bordeaux Blend) 2005, Langhorne Creek ($28)

Drank this after the Quinto do Vallado and stamped on it from a very great height. Australian through and trhough with ripe fruit intensity. Again black fruits and a bit a plum. This felt even all over the mouth, had great smell. Drinking well now. Bleasdale wines are great.

Quinta do Vallado 2005, Douro, Portugal ($68)

Well, I got promoted at work so I splashed out. Pure touriga nacional. Dark in colour and full black fruit on the nose. Very concentrated particularly down the middle of the palate. Great focus. Worth $68. Dunno, not sure anyting is worth that, but it is a very good wine.

Toscar, Monastrell 2007, Alicante, Spain ($14)

Initial smell of plums, giving way in time for a bit of red berry fruit and some smokiness. On tasting then main thing I remember is a sourness to the taste. Not totally offensive - I did decide to carry on on drinking it rather than change the bottle, but equally, I don't think I'd buy this again.

Domaine de la Mordoree, Lirac, Southern Rhone ($45)

I'd heard about wines from the Lirac from Wine Libray TV and how they were underated. My attempt at sourcing some in Melbourne had come to nought for a month before going to Paris. The 'Caves Taillerant' had only one bottle so I was amazed to see one advertised in South Melbourne's Prince Wine Stores. This had a feint purple hue, and a minerality on the nose that evokes northern Rhone, though not as extrememly as teh St Jospeph of a few months ago. It stank of regionality. THis could not be anything but French, and special. And indeed it was: mineral, violet, white pepper (?) and subdued black fruit. I loved this . The sheer balnce, the length, the individuality. Very enjoyable. A pure sense of place.

Great Wall, cabernet sauvignon 2007, China (39, 6)

Yuk

Bleasdale, Malbec 2003, Langhorne Creek ($17)

Dark stuff. Some stone on the nose and a big wodge of dark berry. This wine was delightful with even balance in the mouth, and the right amount of ageing. A delight

Spring Vale, Pinot Noir 2006, East Coast Tasmania ($44)

I'd ignored Tasmanian pinot until I visited Tasmania Uncorked! a few weeks ago. Why bother when one lives at the edge of the Mornington Peninsula? This bottle is why bother, and all those wineries up the eastern coast of Tasmania are why bother. Delicious stuff, with smooth appealing fruit. Raspberry and in particular cherry come to mind. But this is not immature jammy pinot. This is unctuous, warm life affirming stuff. Sophistication and personality without pretentioun. A real pleasure.

Marc Bredif, Vouvray 2006, Loire, France ($33)

Great balance on this off-dry wine, floral on the nose at first with a hint of mango coming through later. Very even on the palate. Classy, and a very enjoyable drink.

Anderson, Basket Press Shiraz 2001, Rutherglen ($27)

Sometimes you just know, don't you? Standing in Melbourne's Federation Square Region Wine Showcase and eying that decanter from Anderson's stand. One whiff is all it took. I bought. One sniff of that purest plum and blackberry bouquet and you know this is a winner. One taste and the concentrated flavours rip down the palate and just stay there - the concentration, the tannin gripping. You surrender because there was nothing else you wanted to do. Even if you had another option you still would take this one as the wine Sirens beckon you A lovely, lovely wine.

Vintage Cellars own brand Cotes-de-Rhone 2007, France ($8)

Bright red on pouring, with a bouquet of strawberry and cherry. A well balanced wine offering easy quaffing. Some meatiness on the palate. Undeniable value at this price and a change to the norm.

Giant Steps Sexton, Harry Monster 2004 (Bordeaux Blend), Yarra Valley ($20)

Last reviewed in 2008. Picked a half dozen up in the end of financial year sale at Giant Steps at a mere $20 rather than the usual $45. Ideally needs two hours to air in a decanter to really rock. My lesson from this bottle was that while still nice, it should not have been drunk after the palate assault rendered by a big primitivo with full on Aussie style fruit concentration like the Sutherland's Creek we had that night. Harry's Monster is a really good Bordeaux blend with good complexity, brooding darkly compared to the that primitivo. Very, and at $20, very good value.

Sutherlands Creek, Primitivo 2006, Geelong ($11)

An OMG moment when we had the first bottle of this a week ago. And strange that I wrote in February that there was no Aussie primitivo, and was having to rely on Italian fare (have never seen Californian Zinfandel in this country). Found this in 6J's aside Prahan Market. A thick dark purple, the second bottle remained strong on vanilla but more pronounced on plum flavours instead of the blackberry flavours experienced on bottle #1. Pat thought there was a little raspberry bouquet thing going on. Bloody good stuff.

Anderson, "Melanie' Sweet Shiraz 2005, Rutherglen ($?)

Must admit to usually being somewhat pessimistic about table wines from Rutherglen and Heathcote, the flavours are too full on and not to my liking. This works though, a nice pudding wine thick on the mouth with even chocolate and licorice flavours. Enjoyable. Cellar door mail order sales only.

Cuilleron Gaillard Villard, L'Arzelle Saint Joseph 2000, Rhone, France ($50)

Dark colour. Stone straight on the nose followed by some pleasing roasted meatiness. Smooth mouthfeel with fine tannins. A nice drink that reeked of place.

Giant Steps, Sexton Vineyard Chardonnary 2006, Yarra Valley ($16)

Lovely stuff, smooth floral notes, with a very slight and appealing toastiness. A hint of austerity coming from the right amount opf acidity. An absolute bargain and a wonderful drink

Domaine Vincent Paris, Saint Joseph 2007, Rhone, France ($45)

And wham, in this came. A total mindshift was required from our standard fare to deal with this. On the nose wet stone and later soil. No fruit on the nose whatsoever. Youth gave this wine a race of acidity on the mouth. Needs 2 hours plus to air. A very mineral red and a total detour from our norm.

Chateau de Sergries 2006, Cotes-du-Rhone, France ($25)

A wine to ponder and enjoy as it constantly evolved in the glass. Sometimes cigar box, sometimes dark fruit, and at one point a touch of thyme, but always a silken mouthfeel. Arguably a little thin on the mid-palate. One to contemplate and enjoy with wine fan friends.

Box Stallion, The Enclosure Pinot Noir 2006, Mornington Peninsula ($25ish)

The thing about pinot noir is that your always want the Holy Grail - the perfect wine - and it is only pinot that can give that religious ectasy. near perfection is tolerable. But what about serviceable? No, not really. This wine is serviceable, red cherry being the main thing going on here on the nose and palate. the winer is correct. But it is pinot and it does not rock.

Domane Wachau, Gruner Veltliner 2007, Wachau, Austria ($23)

This grape is beginning to get a bit of hype what with articles in The Age's Epicure. Jancis Robinson mentioned that one has to be careful where in Austria the wine is sourced from. Today's wine was no help. Balanced and tasting somewhere between semillion and gerwurtztramer is was simply okay but unexceptional with balanced honeysuckle (?) notes and verging on semi-sweet.

Box Stallion, Dolcetto 2004, Mornington Peninsula ($17)

Acquired this at the cellar door. The 2006 which we tasted just beforehand was totally different what with its rosemary bouquet. No English country garden here. Stewed cherry and blackberry on the nose and a fair dose of tannin. Probably at its best after one hour of airing when the dustiness came off it leaving a glossy palate experience. 14.6% alcohol has very high, but I couldn't taste the heat one would expect from such levels. For $17 this is good value.

Chateau Ferriere 2005, Grand Cru Classe, Margaux, Bordeaux ($100)

Be careful when believing adverts offering religious experiences. 2005 Bordeaux - the vintage of a lifetime. Buy any wine you can - they'll all be worth it. No doubt this is a nice wine, but the Douro wines I've recently drunk were as good, and the Vallado had strong parallels in the taste experience at a third of the price. A bit like Sean Connery finding our who Zardoz really was.

Vallado (Quinta do Vallado), Douro, Portugal ($35)

A blend of tinta barroca, tinta roriz, touriga franca, & touriga nacional grapes. Funk - that was the only word I could think off to describe this. There was a lot going on in the nose and mouth and I couldn't put a traditional wine word on any of it. It just had some spicy funk to it. An enjoyable drink, though I think overpriced. Would be good at $18, but at $35 overpriced.

Novisimo Canepa, Carmenere 2007, Central Valley, Chile ($9)

Intriguing stuff. Light aromatics of dark berry - propably blueberry. Smooth on the palate but bery thin on the front 2/3rds with strong flavour coming in on the back. Straight after this we had Wild Rock merlot/malbec whose flavour firmly put this camenere's into place. At $9 not bad, and certainly a change to the usual stuff at that price point.

(Hanging Rock) Odd One Out, 'Cabernets' 2006, Macedon Ranges (sub $20)

A mixture of cab sav, cab franc, merlot and petit verdot - the latter providing the depth. Not as good an experience as the cellar door tasting offered. Not a lot on the nose, but shades of leather, wet stone & violets. On the palate this was an uneven experience. Though inoffensive, the wine lacked focus and the tannins were uneven. One can buy a Kiwi bordeaux blend like Wild Rock for the same price which knocks this offering into touch.

Chrismont, Barbera 2002, King Valley ($20?)

Slight cigar box on the nose with lovely balanced blackberry on the palate. Not too heavy. Nice finish. Very enjoyable with my tomato based meal.

Bass Phillip 'Village', pinot noir 2005, Gippsland ($58 restaurant price)

Great expectations of this, what with Bass Phillip's reputation and all.  Then came the shocks.  The light red colur was less of a surprise than the fact that the wine was clearly unfiltered and thus cloudy in colour.  With hindsight it should have been decanted what with the amount of sediment in it.  Notwithstanding that, the second big surprise was that it tasted as though it was freshly bottled - totally raw - nouveau.  A thoroughly unenjoyable drink verging towards vile.

Wild Rock, Merlot Malbec 2005, Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand ($19.80)

A total steal of a wine at under $20, and I'm so glad I found a good vendor in Wine Bank on View in Bendigo to stock this.  A dark colour with some cigar box on the nose.  Blackberry coming through nicely on the palate with well spread tannin to the wine backbone.  Great stuff.

Darling Park, Syrah 2005, Mornington Peninsula ($28)

Nice wine this, reminding me in style of the competition from Hawkes Bay, NZ.  Nice dark fruit on the palate with plenty of tannin spread evenly and enjoyably across it.  A very enjoyable drink.

Granite Hills, Shiraz 2003, Macedon Ranges ($28)

After so much Euro wine this was a fantastic contrast. Pure instense plum on nose - and a lasting finish this was so refreshingly vibrant and fruit driven. So Australian, so wonderful. A lovely drink.

Clyde Park, Reserve Chardonnay 2002, Geelong ($15)

A find while on a cellar door visit in the totally parched Geelong region. At near floor level and presented as a 50-50 bet as 'the corks weren't so good'. A totally seamless drink with typical butter and cream notes and daisy bouquet. Perfectly integrated. A dream of a drink at this price. Doesn't beat Leeuwin Estate, but at 20% of the price who is arguing?

Librandi Ciro Rosso Classico 2004, Calabria, Italy ($6)

Lovely. Made from 100% gaglioppo (!). Really nice medium bodied red with leather and well done bacon on the nose. Smooth with a slightly rough twist at the back of the palate - which I liked. Some astringency around the edge of the tongue. A pleasure to drink. A TOTAL STEAL of a wine.

Crasto (Quinta do Crasto) 2005, Douro, Portugal ($28)

A blend of tinta roriz, tinta barroca, touriga franca and touriga nacional. Very drinkable and correct wine. The nose evolved continually, one moment with tobacco, another leather, and another dark cherry, and sometimes maybe a whiff of mint. While correct I had a sneaky suspicion that at times it was a little thin. Certainly makes me curious to buy more Douro wines. Purchase from King and Godfrey on Lygon Street.

Villa Maria, Syrah 2005, Hawkes Bay NZ ($25)

I love Hawkes Bay syrah. Those dark cool climate flavours. This wine was lovely, and at $25 a steal. Long finish that just lingered in the mouth. Enjoy.

Cosme Palacio, Rioja 2005, Spain ($18.99)

There's that something that a good rioja has has no other wine has. That is why I count rioja as my absolute favourite wine. That something is always there in the gran reservas. But this is not a gran reserva. This wine got a good write up in The Age, and yes, it is well made and correct, but that is where it ends. Nothing distinctive. Rock my boat? No. Not worth the a return visit.

A-Mano, Primitivo 2003, Puglia IGT, Italy ($20)

While a perfectly well made wine, the flavour gave no indication of place. It made for unremarkable stuff. And no distinctiveness of grape variety came through. While there aren't any Aussie primitivos to my knowledge, there seemed little point in making a detour for this bottle again. For $10 we can get well made yet undistinctive wine - why pay more?

Chalmers, Aglianico 2005, Murray Darling ($25)

Consistent cigar box aromas and consitent delivery across the palate. Tastes very un-Australian and therefore an nice change to the norm. The finish is not long which is poosibly the only drawback.

Hurley Vineyard, 'Garamond' Pinot Noir 2005, Mornington Peninsula ($45)

My birthday treat this one.....after an hour of airing this started well, with some fruit flavour still present, but some stewed cherry and some fungal aromas present too. Nice nose. The finish was long too. Enjoyable at first, but as time passed the wine developed to become quite sour which was a disappointing end.

Helen's Hill, "Evolution' Sauvignon Blanc, Yarra Valley ($23)

At last a sauvignon blance to break the monotonous tyranny of Marlborough's cat's pee offering. In the absence of good Sancerre I've been so bored of sauvignon blanc. Chestnut Hill was the only offering that made me look up. This Helen's Hill offering is a delight with oaky complexity and great taste of fig. Bye bye cat's pee and gooseberry! Enjoyable complexity. A thoroughly enjoyable drink.

Ravensworth, Sangiovese 2007, Murrumbateman NSW ($20)

Coming off the back of a glass of beaujolais this wine was immediately marked by the concentrated fruit driven nose. Black cherry on the palate and a hint of raspberry right at the back which added a nice twist. A reasonable finish at this price point. Enjoyable.

Chateau du Bluizard, Beaujolais Village 2007, France ($20)

So gentle compared to the standard fare I drink.  The floral notes really come though along with gentle cherry.  Had to protect this wine from the 45C heat (!) so it had been in the fridge (eek!) for a while.  As the wine warmed up to approach propoer temperatutes its flavour profile changed.  While cold disjointed and highlighting sourness at the back of the palate, but as it wared the sweetness coming though and balanced restored.  Nice stuff for a late hot hot hot summer evening.

Box Stallion, Gevurtztramirner 2007, Mornington Peninsula ($20 ?)

'Obliged' to drink this back to back with the Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay which really felt like an unequal contest. But this wine stood up very well. Instant gratification on the nose with lychee coming through straight away. An enjoyable drink - well balanced across the palate, nice finish. It was probably the finish that was the differentiator with the Leewin chardonnay - the latter's being long and more intense, but then again it was $50 more a bottle (having taken account if the fact that I picked it up for $70 a bottle when it was on offer, it's normally $100), and so this Box Stallion faired very well. Return visit.

Leeuwin Estate, Art Series Chardonnay 2005, Margaret River ($70)

Lovely. Pure focussed peach on the nose, with floral and honeyed hints. Lovely mouthfeel and a long, long finish. It's only Jan 26 and anlready I'm sipping a possible wongston wine of the year. Great, and even better, I'm sharing it with my wife.

RACV Club, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Coonawarra ($11)

After a brief flush of dark berry fruit and lovely and persistant cigar box or sandalwood nose comes through. A hint of juniper and blueberry I think at different times. The nose morphed gently with time. Good balance on the palate and a really nice finish. Lovely stuff.

Clos Martinet, 2004, Priorat, Spain ($80)

This followed a nice bottle of Agliancio del Vulture and felt refined in comparision. There was an initial dark berry hit, but I was just agonising over the smell. What was it.....nearest I could get was 'sponge pudding before it is cooked and it is liquid, or maybe something doughy. I just kept smelling this wine. Lovely smell. Focussed on the palae with a good finish. Very enjoyable.

Boat O'Craigo, Black Spur Pinot Noir 2006, Yarra Valley (about $20)

Starts by delivering big on cherry aromas, whihc morphs with swirling into a forest floor dominated profile with a hint of fungi.  For the price a good wine.  An enjoyable wine that took well to our cheese.

Giant Steps, Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2005, Yarra Valley ($35)

Fantastic start to 2009 with this wonderfully balanced honeysuckle flavoured chardonnay.  The flavour carried through with lovely green notes delivering power across the whole of the mouth.  Nice stuff worth acquiring again.