Pfeiffer, Gamay 2010, Rutherglen ($19)

Essentially a stab a 'Beaujolais Nouveau'. A wisp of acidity as you would expect in a wine this young. Some simple strawberry and light cheery flavours. Well balanced and a smooth drink if you can accept the acidity. Could be a whole lot more interesting in a year of two's time.

Les Vin de Vienne, Les Essartailles, Cote Rotie 2006, Northern Rhone ($90)

Well, my first ever Cote Rotie, and while is was gentle it was not exactly life changing. Didn't tell Pat the price and she was not impressed when tasting 'price blind'

Trentham, La Familglia Nebbiolo 2006 ($13)

Lightish colour, nice interesting aroma. A tad acidic at first. With air a totally quaffable enjoyable drink. Will buy more at this price

Alamos, Malbec 2008, Mendoza, Argentina ($20?)

Dark, dark colour. Immediate bouquet of blackberries, before a hint of violet kicked in overlayed by vanilla/oak. Smooth and even on that palate. Not enough to make me think Argentinian Malbec would beat Bleasdale Malbec, but still a good wine.

Mike Press, Shiraz 2009, Adelaide Hills ($11)

For all the reviews and the 'great value' comments one sees about this, the 2009 does not rock my boat. I think there is something very slightly disjointed about this wine (the 2007 rocked though). After tasting the Rathdowne Cellars 2009 Cleanskin earlier this year I'm beginning to think the South Australia had a bad 2009 vintage. Justa little nuance of sultana going on - grapes overripe?

Brookland Valley, Chardonnay 2009, Margaret River ($30)

Impressive. These higher end Margaret River chardys are really impressive. Good bouquest, balanced honeysuckle on the nose and palate. Great structure. I was worried that teh youth of this would be an impediment. Not now. Drinking great with San Danielle and soft cheese. Would say that the Voyager Estate stuff is a notch better - probably a more defined structure, but still this is good stuff.

Penfolds, St Henri Shiraz, 2001 ($40?)

Well, at $40 a steal compared to the retail price. A nice smooth drink, which ought to have been drunk before the Sean Thackrey Orion which was at risk of impacting the palate too much. Life changing? No. Age and reputation aside, I think there is better value at $30-$40 for a shiraz. But a nice wine nonetheless.

Sean Thackrey, Orion, 1994, Sonoma County, USA ($180)

Needs about 2 hours in a decanter. Started drinking this after about 1 hour of decanting, while yielded a wine with some pleasurably dusty tannins. Deep colour. Not an awful lot on the nose. The syrah in the wine came through on the palate as did the structured tannins. Let's face it, at 16 years of age with a cork one is always taking a punt on whether a wine is drinkable at all. This most certainly was. Got smoothly and smoother as time elapsed as the dustiness blew off. But in all phases an enjoyable wine.

Provenance, Pinot Noir 2008, Geelong ($30)

Lovely smell of earth and cherry. Reasonalble finish. Not too heavy. Drinkable now but would be better in a year's time. Enjoyable.

Saddleback, Pinor Noir 2005, Central Otago ($29)

The brain says that this wine was right. Pinot....Otago....had some bottle age...not too much alcohol (13%), and indeed the bouquet gave a hint at smooth intensity. And at first it tasted okay too. But I don't like pinot as concentrated as shiraz, and when I drink some Otago pinots that is what I think I'm having. Well made as it is, this is not my kind of stuff.

Giant Steps, Sexton Vineyard Merlot 2008, Yarra Valley ($17)

It's all there, the flavours, depth, and grip. But this wine was just far too young. The tannins overpowering and years off being ready. Needs at least another 5 years.

Lindemans Pyrus 2006, Coonawarra ($54)

Lovely

Sorrenberg, Gamay 2004, Beechworth ($38)

Being gamay it was only to be expected that the jiuce seemed thin in colour on decanting. But is settled into a deep cherry colour which expressed the taste experience. The bouquet packed a delightful punch. This wine was clearly going to be a contender. The taste did not disappoint. Long finish. Smooth over the entire palate. Balanced vanilla and that cheery thing. $38 is not cheap. This wine was worth it. Lovely stuff.

Marguet Pere & Fils, Brut Champagne, France ($49)

From Nick's wine merchants. A grand cru champagne. Very nicely balanced wine making me think of the better champagnes I've ever had. The best champagne style sparkling I've ever had was the Symphonia sparkling from King Valley (and only $17). This was similar. Symphonia probably pips it to the post on taste and value. Relative to other French champagnes this is exception value in price for the taste.

Yalumba, The Cigar Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Coonawarra ($25)

Again, a Rathdowne Cellars purchase. Apparently some wine writer or other thought this the wine of the year. Timely that I seem to be turning on to cab savs at the moment, after downing some great Sonoma County stuff at the Saint and Rogue. Anyhow, on pouring this showed a very dark colour. Clearly a concentrated wine. After airing for a couple of hours this wine this made for a very nice experience. Dark cab franc like flavours werer there, though surprisingly for a Coonawarra cab sav an absence of cigar box aromas, all the more ironic given the name of the wine. Still, excellent value at $25.

Leabrook Estate, Cabernet Franc 2006, Adelaide Hills ($30)

Another purchase from Rathdowne Cellars, and a very nice wine. Very dark colour. I wine of good depth and those pleasing dark undertones that you'd want from a cab franc. A little bit of a dough type flavour on the mid palate. Priced about right and worth a return.

Domaine la Lorentine 2007, Lirac (Rhone), France ($40)

Sourced from Rathdowne Cellars in Carlton Village. A good wine in the Lirac style. The minerality was certainely there, though not as in your face of the Domaine de la Mordoree, which made the wine have a sense of place. Enjoyable and worth a return.

Rathdowne Cellars Old Press Shiraz 2008, Langhorne Creek, ($13)

A bit a beast this wine. I was so looking to this wine, as the equivalent I bought in January was possibly my fave wine of teh year to date. I should have checked the label. January's was an '07, and this a 2008. This wine is over the top, too intense, not quite balanced. There's a jarring smell of treacle which simpy makes me think the grapes were overripe. And to think I bought three bottles of this unaware it was not the same as my January purchase Not enjoyable at all.

Purple Hen, Clonal Selection Pinot Noir 2008, South Gippsland ($30)

Strawberry colours on pouring, and indeed initially on the nose. The bouquest evolved a lot over time with the simple strawberry giving way to funkier forest aromas. This was reflected in the taste which after a couple of hours had an almost sparkling darkness to it. this wine will polarise opinion. I found it an unusual and interesting wine. Pat not so.

Giant Steps, Miller Vineyard Shiraz 2006, Yarra Valley ($17 on offer)

Delightful smooth cool climate shiraz. Good value at $25 or below. Drinking pefectly now.

Dr Loosen, Blue Slate Riesling Trocken 2008, Mosel ($20?)

At 11.5% alcochol it was nice to have a wine with what I still feel is roughly the right alcohol level. The 15% stuff usually annoys me. A pleasant but ultimately forgettable wine.

Domaine Bernard Baudry, Chinon 2006, Loire Valley, France ($42)

Finally, got hold of some Chinon. Not easy stuff to get even in Melbourne. Found it in Providore in Canberra. Good shop. A nice balanced wine - but not showy. No big nose, no big big flavours. Just a very smooth darker-than-average flavour dominated by dark berry flavours. Given that 2006 was meant to e a bad year for reds in that part of the world, the wine was better than I expected. At $42 I'm not sure I'd buy this vintage again, even through the quality was acceptable. More a case of ticking Chinon off the list, and maybe waiting for a well received vintage for a return visit.

Castillo del Baron, Monastrell 2007, Yecla, Spain ($23)

After drinking that lovely La Purisima 2004 Monastrell last week I had to see if monastrell (mouvedre) from Yecla had something bigger going on. It does. This wine was delightful with a wonderfully complex fragrant nose. Loads going on. Could just keep smelling it. Totally un-Australian. Delightful stuff.

Penfolds Grange 1986, South Australia ($480)

Pat thought this to taste of raspberries on the first instnace. Maybe, maybe black raspberry. But the taste did evolve, leaving me with a pleasing impression of tar and liquorice. The finish went on for ever. A nice wine. Not a life-changer.

Trappio, Monastrell 2004, Yecla, Spain ($65 in restaurant)

Wonderful stuff.

Eileen Hardy, Shiraz, Coonawarra (present)

the sheer concentration of the flavour was enough to set this apart from the crowd. The flavours just kept changing, from fruit driven at first through to a distinct black tea one later one. It just fascinated. Most wines priced at $60+ just leave one wondering if they are worth it. This one is. A really special wine.

Gotham, Shiraz 2006, Barossa Valley ($?)

Heat. So much alcohol in this it is totally out of balance. An unenjoyable drink.

Pfieffer, Shiraz 2004, Rutherglen ($?)

Dark thick purple colour and a big cool climate nose. Filled the mouth with big flavour with a hint of mint/eucalypt and dark fruit/plum. Much bigger than I am used to, but without that horrible over the top quality some Rutherglen or Heathcote reds have. Enjoyable.

Omaka Springs, Reserve Pinot Noir 1998, Marlborough, NZ ($?)

A 40th birthday pressie. Inky purple colour. A big stewed cherry thing going on here though it was not overpowering. An initial hit of tannin I found made it more interesting, though Pat was more ambivalent. Decent finish.

Vina Tondonia 1991 Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain (~$100)

Balanced & subtle. But I couldn't help thinking it was maybe a bit too old, or maybe the grapes a bit overripe. I had an Aussie wine after this, which only reinforced how subtle and delicate this wine was. Didn't stop me me having my doubts.

Rathdowne Cellars Own Brand, Old Press Shiraz 2007, McLaren Vale (?) ($14)

After a long flurry of totally disappointing wines I get this. Wow! Those great wines sometimes just come out of nowhere. Made from grapes from Bleasdale's vineyards. Very distinctive flavours, sometimes of prune at the back, intense blackberry. This wine electrifies. Great depth and concentration of flavour, and focus. Ming-bogglingly good stuff and a fantastic value at $14.

Mastroberardino, Aglianico, Campania IGT, Italy ($20)

Weaker colour than I expected, and this was reflected on the those nose and palate. A weak black tea thing going on the palate, with some pleasing astringency. The front of mouth experience being dominant with the flavour tailing off in teh mid and back palate. A slight disappointment.

Casa Caldirola, Bardolino 2006, Veneto, Italy ($7)

Any hopes that this blend of corvina, rondinella, molinara, and negrona grapes might yield a tasty Valpolicella-esque experience at a measly $7 were severely dashed. Tasted like one of those unfinished bottles in restaurants that they still serve from the next day. Thoroughly unpleasant. Couldn't manage more than two small sips.

Luis Pato, Baga 2005, Beiras Portugal ($26)

For all the hyperbole about new wave Portuguese wine, and the joy of finding something in a bottle shop (Rathdowne Cellars) that for once was not Quinta do Crasto, this was a joy to find, and a disappointment to drink. Actually, other than it being inoffensive - thank you, I can get that from Jacob's Creek at a third of the price - there is not a singlew thing to write about it. Bland, and mercifully only 13%.

Sutherland Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon - Daniel's Hill Vineyard 2003, Yarra Valley ($(12)

A very distinctive taste, and while interesting, I'm not sure if I like it. Although smooth with a longish finish, I can't help thinking or burnt sugar or treacle. Given that I've visited Sutherland Estate in teh past and liked thier produce very much, I am beginning to assume that their 2003 produce is either past its best, or was not their best vintage.

Sutherland Estate, Pinot Noir 2003, Yarra Valley ($12)

Well, the wine guides were right. This is too old, and is obviously past its prime. All that sour cherry and raspberry overtaken by age. Got dried orange on the palate and some heat. Not particularly enjoyable.

Port Phillip Estate, Pinot Noir 2005, Mornington Peninsula ($27 at auction)

In shoret, too young. Too much bright acidity present and clearly needs a few more years. The flavours so far a fruity but undistinctive typical pinot noir.