Random Wine Roundup

A few recent uncategorised wines:

Domaine Wachau Gruner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel 2008 (Wachau, Austria)
Dry, clean and nicely phenolic Gruner in the dry and crisp Federspiel style mode. Not quite as fresh and vibrant as the 07 but still nicely varietal, simple Gruner. 16.5/88

Nigl Gruner Veltliner Gartling 2008 (Kremstal, Austria)
Very pure, and utterly delectable dry style Gruner. Spicy, white pepper nose that is perfectly varietal and distinctive. Palate follows with more spice and a phenolic whip through the tail. Just a lovely, pure aromatic wine that a Riesling lover like me can easily appreciate. 17.8/92

Paringa Estate Peninsula Pinot Noir 2008 (Mornington Peninsula, Vic)
The discussion with this wine centred on whether it was too big and ripe for it’s own good. It’s certainly volatile for a start, but with a quite attractive, red berry jam and pepper nose behind. Palate is juicy, if somewhat stewed and finishes with a bit of heat. Certainly alot of flavour for the dollars and it’s recognisably regional, but perhaps just too much ripeness for real enjoyment. 16.9/89

10x by Tractor Pinot Noir 2008 (Mornington Peninsula, Vic)
A rather different wine to the Paringa above, this was positively light on in comparison. It’s a very pretty and lifted Pinot with cherry spice and sweet oak, if somewhat lacking on the palate. Still nice though. 16.8/89

Tyrrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2008 (Heathcote, Vic)
Smelling extremely youthful and sweet fruited, this is bright, glossy and rich with pretty florals, sweet vanilla oak and black jube fruit. Palate is similarly sweetish, but rescued by some lovely chocolatey tannins. Plenty to come with this wine. Value stuff. 17.1/90

Tyrrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2007 (Heathcote, Vic)
Surprisingly ordinary after the 2008, this has a light raspberry/choc oak nose. Palate is dry and ungenerous with a gaping hole in the back palate, before finishing dry and rustic. Needs time to come together, though I don’t if it will ever be complete. 15.5/86

Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2008 (Barossa, SA)
A sensationally grapey Shiraz, this is bright and berried, fresh and luscious with a sweet ride of blackberried, unoaked fruit with minimal tannins or artifice. Very pleasant, if basically a quite expensive quaffer. 16.3/88

Passing Clouds Graeme’s Blend Shiraz Cabernet 2005 (Bendigo, Vic)
A curious wine that cobbles together super ripe berry fruit & chocolate oak with some rather stern tannins and a strange hole in the back end. Sure to develop well, but somewhat disjointed at present. 16.8/89

Stanton & Killeen Durif 2004 (Rutherglen, Vic)
Coconut, red berry and coffee on the nose with a cossetingly rich and oaky palate of quite soft sweet fruit and grainy tannins. Comfort wine. 17.2/90

Ashbrook Cabernet Merlot 2005 (Margaret River, WA)
Tobacco leaf, spearmint and a little more leaf on the nose, leading to a fine, long and dry palate that isn’t quite as leafy as the nose, but sure gets close. Elegant and very savoury – and importantly, not green – though perhaps too severe for real enjoyment. May well get better with bottle age. 16.5/88

Bass Phillip 21 Pinot Noir 2006
A good bottle of this (hooray), and drinking superbly. Very appealing! Lovely nose – utterly pinotish with tomato leaf, raspberry and sap, with a bit of trademark unfiltered cloudiness in the glass. On the palate it’s much of the same with tomato (the fruit now, not the leaves) and raspberry fruit over a stout and stemmy spine. An effortless Pinot, this needed only a fraction more intensity to propel it into superstar territory. Regardless, this is a stunning Pinot. 18.5/94