Primary Aromas.

2009 Skillogalee Clare Valley Riesling

2010-05-11T22:15:00.001+10:00

Skillogalee Wines

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2009 Skillogalee Clare Valley Riesling

Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Pale

Colour – Pale Gold

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Medium

Aroma Characteristics – Beautiful citrus aromas of lemon and lime with slight honey scented undertones.

Palate

Sweetness - Dry

Acidity - Medium

Tannin - N/A

Body - Medium

Flavour Characteristics –

Lemon and lime flavours are apparent on the front palate which develop into a more green apple/pineapple mid-palate with a slight honey backbone.

Balanced out with beautifully weighted acidity and length, this wine is a personal standout from the region.

Length – Medium-long

Conclusions

Quality – Very Good – Excellent

RRP: $18.99

2008 Fox Creek 'Red Baron' Shiraz

2010-04-23T20:39:00.000+10:00

Fox Creek Wines

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2008 Fox Creek 'Red Baron' Shiraz

Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Medium-Deep

Colour – Dark Ruby

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Medium-Pronounced

Aroma Characteristics – Aromas of rich red berries, cherry and plum.

Palate

Sweetness - Dry

Acidity - Low

Tannin - Low - Medium

Body - Medium

Flavour Characteristics – Juicy and rich red berry fruits coupled with a soft and stewed plum mid-palate ending with a very enjoyable, soft, medium length finish.

Length – Medium

Conclusions

Quality – Good to Very Good

RRP: $14.99

A cracker of a wine for under $15 that matches perfectly with a medium-cooked steak.

2010 red + white Icon Tasting

2010-03-30T18:03:00.000+11:00

red + white Wine Distributors

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I was lucky enough to get invited to the red + white Icon Tasting event for 2010, which showcased their 'icon' and more premium wines from their portfolio.

Whilst there were an abundance of exceptional wines on show, I will write about a few that really stood out.

Starting off with Champagne, the Louis Roederer Champagnes were extraordinary!

From the Brut Premier Non-Vintage to the 2004 Brut Vintage topping it all off with a taste of the 2002 Cristal Brut; those wines were really something else. So elegant and complex which I guess is what we can come to expect from vintage champagnes.

Moving on to Sauvignon Blancs and Aromatic Whites; The 2008 Dog Point Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc, from Marlbourough, NZ was a very nice wine. Steering away from the typical intense fruit-driven Sauv/Blancs, the Dog Point Section 94 shows much more complexity and style and really quite suprised me.

Pinot Gris' and Rieslings were also on show with the 2008 Pipers Brook Vineyard Pinot Gris and the 2008 Yabby Lake Pinot Gris standing out from the crowd, whilst the best Riesling on show was to no suprise from the Clare Valley in South Australia; The 2005 Mitchell 'McNicol' Riesling, showing fantastic mineral and chalky characteristics, this really stood out.

Might try and shorten this 'essay-length' blog entry and just list a few of the standouts.

2007 Dalwhinnie Chardonnay from the Pyrenees in Victoria.

2008 Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.

2008 Dog Point Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand.

2005 Pipers Brook Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir from Pipers Brook, Tasmania.

2008 Yabby Lake Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

2007 Chapel Hill Shiraz from McLaren Vale, South Australia.

2005 Hollick 'Wilgha' Shiraz from Coonawarra, South Australia.

2008 Two Hands 'Gnarly Dudes' Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

2007 Chapel Hill Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale, South Australia.

2005 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge AC from the Rhone Valley, France.

2006 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Scarrone DOC from Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy.

2005 Vietti Barolo Castiglione DOCG from Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy.

2005 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio DOCG from La Morra, Piedmont, Italy.

All in all it was a fantastic afternoon put on by red + white that I was lucky enough to attend!

2006 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

2010-03-28T22:34:00.001+11:00

Zema Estate Wines

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2006 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Medium

Colour – Dark Cherry

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Medium

Aroma Characteristics – Aromas of ripe red berries, hazelnut and vanilla undertones.

Palate

Sweetness - Off-dry

Acidity - Low

Tannin - Medium

Body - Medium

Flavour Characteristics – Juicy red berry fruits developing into a slight fruit-driven sweetness with a dry, medium length finish.

Length – Medium

Conclusions

Quality – Good to Very Good

RRP: $22

Primary Aromas is on the move..

2010-03-19T11:45:00.000+11:00

I have just registered www.primaryaromas.com and www.primaryaromas.com.au and will hopefully be moving all of this over there shortly.

Of course I will let you all know when this happens!

New Zealand In A Glass

2010-02-22T20:01:00.000+11:00

New Zealand Wine

2010 New Zealand In A Glass tasting event.

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I was lucky enough to attend the New Zealand In A Glass tasting event today, held at the Savoy Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Melbourne.

With over 400 wines from almost 80 premium wineries this event was a great experience to immerse myself in everything NZ Wine, trying everything from Central Otago Pinot Noir to Barrel-fermented Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to Wild yeast fermented Chardonnays and Aged Rieslings.

This once a year event was a great experience for me with the standout wines (Pinot Noirs in particular) coming from Carrick, Mount Difficulty and Grasshopper Rock whilst the consistent performers such as Catalina Sound, Villa Maria and Giesen are still producing great Sauvignon Blanc.

To sign up and be informed of future NZ Wine events head to: http://nzwineevents.com.au/

Torbreck Wines

2010-02-20T19:57:00.002+11:00

Torbreck Wines

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I was lucky enough to sample 4 of Torbreck's entry-level red wines recently and was so impressed by what I tasted, I decided to simply provide a link to their website full of tasting notes and information about their wines rather than bore you with a simple tasting note!

Their reds are phenomenal and won't necessarily break the bank.

The wines I tasted were the;

Woodcutter's Shiraz
Cuvee Juveniles
The Steading and
The Struie

All of them were fantastic and I highly recommend any of them!

Website: Torbreck Wines

2008 Six Foot Six Pinot Noir

2010-02-05T21:00:00.002+11:00

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2008 Six Foot Six Pinot Noir

Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Light

Colour – Vibrant ruby

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Light- Medium

Aroma Characteristics – Aromas of tobacco, spice with cherry flavours.

Palate

Sweetness - Dry

Acidity - Medium

Tannin - Light

Body - Light - Medium

Flavour Characteristics – Juicy red fruit underpinned by spice, slight tannin and spirit on the finish.

Length – Medium

Conclusions

Quality – Good

RRP: $18

2008 Leasingham 'Bin 7' Clare Valley Riesling

2010-01-15T21:08:00.000+11:00

Leasingham Wines

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2008 Leasingham 'Bin 7' Clare Valley Riesling

Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Light

Colour – Pale gold

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Light

Aroma Characteristics – Abundant aromas of citrus; Specifically lemon and lime.

Palate

Sweetness - Dry

Acidity - Medium

Tannin - N/A

Body - Light

Flavour Characteristics – Lime and lemon flavours are in abundance while zesty acidity adds to a very well balanced wine showing true varietal and regional character.

Length – Medium

Conclusions

Quality – Good - Very Good.

RRP: $21

2008 Kooyong 'Massale' Pinot Noir

2010-01-06T21:11:00.006+11:00

Kooyong Website

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2008 Kooyong 'Massale' Pinot Noir

Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Light-Medium

Colour – Bright Ruby

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Light

Aroma Characteristics –Raspberry, Redcurrant flavours on the nose with a hint of oak.

Palate

Sweetness - Off-dry

Acidity - Medium

Tannin - Medium

Body - Light-Medium

Flavour Characteristics –Rasberry and cherry flavours are ever present on the palate with subtle oak and persistent acidity and tannin on the finish.

Length – Medium-Long

Conclusions

Quality – Very Good.

Winemaker: Sandro Mosele

RRP: $25.99

2009 O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling

2009-12-30T21:49:00.004+11:00

O'Leary Walker Website

2009 O'Leary Walker Watervale Riesling.

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Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Pale

Colour – Pale straw/White Gold

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Light

Aroma Characteristics – Citrus and stonefruit flavours.

Palate

Sweetness - Off-dry

Acidity - Low-Medium

Tannin - N/A

Body - Light-Medium

Flavour Characteristics –The palate is exceptionally well balanced and soft with citrus(especially lime) dominating the flavours without overpowering.

Length – Medium

Conclusions

Quality – Very Good.

Would be an outstanding pairing with seafood dishes, especially Prawns.

2002 Kilikanoon 'Parable' Mclaren Vale Shiraz

2009-12-25T14:15:00.006+11:00

Kilikanoon Website

The 2002 Kilikanoon 'Parable' Mclaren Vale Shiraz. Enjoyed with Christmas lunch with family and friends.

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Appearance

Clarity - Clear

Intensity – Medium-deep

Colour – Intense purple, dark cherry.

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Medium

Aroma Characteristics – Heavy oak nose, with black cherry and coffee flavours.

Palate

Sweetness - Dry

Acidity - Medium

Tannin - Medium

Body - Medium-full

Flavour Characteristics – Oak and black fruits coat the palate while the soft tannins give a long lasting finish. Blackberry, Black cherry, coffee and aged oak flavours are abundant, with a hint of spice and white pepper on the finish.

Length – Medium-long

Conclusions

Quality – Very Good

2008 Tar & Roses Heathcote Shiraz

2009-12-22T22:32:00.010+11:00

Tar & Roses Website

A cracker of a wine from the Heathcote region in Victoria. Retails for around $14 a bottle.

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Tar & Roses Heathcote Shiraz 2008

Appearance

Clarity - clear

Intensity – medium

Colour – deep purple

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Light

Aroma Characteristics – Ripe dark fruits; Cherry, Raspberry.

Palate

Sweetness - off-dry

Acidity - low-medium

Tannin - low-medium

Body - medium

Flavour Characteristics – Ripe red and dark fruit flavours dominate this well balanced wine. Medium tannins and fruit give it a lingering, savoury finish.

Length – medium

Conclusions

Quality – Good to Very Good

2008 Mount Difficulty Pinot Gris

2009-12-13T13:38:00.006+11:00

Mount Difficulty Wines

Well here is my first tasting note with a bottle of the 2008 Mount Difficulty Pinot Gris from Central Otago, New Zealand.

Just a quick note so as not to confuse you.

I will be using the Wine Spirit and Education Trust's 'Systematic approach to Tasting' which covers all three criteria of Appearance, Nose and Palate with a quick Conclusion to finish.

So here we go...
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2008 Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris

Appearance

Clarity - clear

Intensity – pale

Colour – pale gold, almost clear

Nose

Condition - Clean

Intensity - Light

Aroma Characteristics – Peach, Stonefruit, Slight pear

Palate

Sweetness - off-dry

Acidity - low

Tannin - N/A

Body - Light

Flavour Characteristics – Tropical fruit flavours of peach and pear dominate the palate finishing with a creamy, mineral finish.

Length – Short - medium

Conclusions

Quality – Good to Very Good

The Beggining.

2009-11-30T18:36:00.000+11:00

I plan to blog about wine; adventures and misadventures and all the fun along the way.

From tasting notes, to vintages, to education and profession, this should hopefully be a bit of fun!

Cheers,
Nick.