The Northcote Grand Jury

Well, that's it

2009-03-19T09:13:00.008+11:00

Well, all good things must come to an end, and the not so good things as well. There hasn't been any deliberation this time and as of today, the jury will no longer be in session.

There's a number of reasons why, but they all relate to when I/we changed the name. You might say that we're only a blog, and you might be right, but there lies part of the problem; It's safe to say that we have big, fat, golden tickets on ourselves, and our ego's demand something bigger and better than just another blog with a few loyal readers. Our name was wrong, the design was wrong and ultimately as a result, the content went wrong. We never stuck to our mission, because we never had one in the first place.

Last week I flicked through of Matt Skinners 'Juice' books, and while I wanted to punch the very easy target of his long snout for using '!' at every opportunity, I couldn't help but be infected by his joy for the wines he talked about. It's been a while since I've felt excited by the wine world, and that's symptomatic of the way wine writers approach the subject. Wine is a joy, a pleasure, something that we should celebrate. It cannot be defined by a number between 1-100 and as Jancis Robinson so rightly states, a love of wine is not defined by the amount and/or cost of the bottles in your cellar.

The world of wine is overpopulated with pomposity, arrogance and conceit. There's a million and one things that make me not proud to be a wine lover, but they're too many to list and frankly I don't have the energy.

So to everyone who's been fool enough to follow me to this point, so long and thanks for coming.
I'll lick my wounds, decide what exactly it is the world of wine doesn't need and I'll be back once I'm fully reloaded.

Anyone wanting to comment can do so by mailing me (northcotegrandjury@gmail.com). I'd genuinely appreciate thoughts/opinions etc.

Until then, be seeing you.

Gentle Annie Cabernet Shiraz

2009-03-06T11:19:00.011+11:00

Last night I dreamt I was a columnist for the Daily Mail. It was terrible.

I'm still suffering from post traumatic stress, so I'll make this quick. The Gentle Annie Shiraz Cabernet 2003 is from a small independent producer in Central Victoria, and as such is a wine that I really wanted to like. Did I? Sort of.

The easy thing to say is that it's a good wine rather than great wine. It's predominately shiraz, and it shows with soft, dark fruits on the palate. Although its been in bottle for almost 6 years the fruit is still going strong, but the tannins don't seem big enough to support it, and altogether it feels a little out of balance. There's some nice mint and eucalypt notes, but on the finish there's a slightly odd character which I neither identified or went wild for. I have an 03 Cabernet kicking around somewhere, and I'll see how that measures up.

Looking at this, it's not the greatest tasting note I've ever written, but I'm sure that it won't be the worst. Either way, it's Friday and we've got three days off work, so it must be good.

That's it. Be seeing you.

Trees. Sandals. Tofu. Hugs

2009-03-02T12:27:00.009+11:00

I'm pretty sure you don't want to read even more tasting notes about budget Australian Chardonnay, but tough biscuit. This one is good, affordable and will also make Al Gore as giddy as a schoolboy.

The tasting note first this time; The Allira Chardonnay 2006 is a delicious, cool climate Chardonnay with citrus and nectarine characters, some vanilla from the oak (about 9 months in barrel) and the creamy textural palate is nicely offset by the citrus and balanced acidity. For $12 it's surprisingly complex, with a nice purity that I've not found at this price point. There, that wasn't too hard, was it?

What makes this wine even more interesting is that the producer, Elgo Estate in Victoria's Strathbogie Ranges, is using sustainable production techniques. Part of the Elgo Estate is apparently located in a naturally windy spot, so they've erected a 150kW wind turbine to power the winery. They're also recycling their waste water and the CO2 that's generated during production.
While my pasty white derrière has gotten blisters from sitting on the climate change fence, it's good to see a producer that actually seems serious about sustainable practices rather merely making a press release sound good.

I've also recently sampled the recent releases of the Allira Shiraz and Cabernet Merlot and they're pretty good too. I have tasting notes somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look.

That's all, I'm off to get intimate with some tofu. Be seeing you

A fine line between heaven and hell

2009-02-23T18:36:00.012+11:00

Spaghetti. Lovely.

Time is tight right now and I'm finding it hard to even think, yet alone think anything intelligent, so I'll try to keep this brief.

First of all thanks to Jenny Houghton at Maygars Hill for being so accommodating, even in the face of my stupidity. I'll write more about Maygars Hill, the magnificent Shiraz they produce, and my stupidity, in my next post. In the meantime, a quick word about our old nemesis, Pinot Noir.

Regular readers will know how we here at the Grand Jury feel about Pinot Noir. We unashamedly treat it with suspicion and rather like a [can't think of anything vaguely funny to say here], it's guilty until proven innocent.

Imagine our delight then, when the Lethbridge Pinot Noir 2006, recommended by our friend Mitchell at Harvest, turned out to be a ripper. Depending on your view of what's interesting, an interesting article in the recent Gourmet Wine Traveller had Burgundian producer Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac stating that the Lethbridge was one of a few New World Pinots he liked, and I can see why. It elevates above the average fruit juice that characterises much Australian pinot with earthy barnyard characters amongst the dark cherry and berry flavours. Lovely weight and texture, and after a couple of years in the bottle it's really hitting its stride. Good stuff, and for $35 or so, better value than some of it's more expensive peers.

I'm still waiting for salvation but I'm not holding my breath, I hear it's not good for you.

Be seeing you.

That's Entertainment (Part II)

2009-02-20T13:39:00.007+11:00

'Stop me if you've heard this one before. Two nuns walk into a bar...'

I've probably written more than I should about the Victorian Bushfires and I probably don't need to add any more, so, I'll leave the final word to comedian Danny Nalliah. For those of us that don't know much about him, Danny made us all howl with laughter recently when he suggested that the fires were due to Victoria's relaxed abortion laws.

Now we at the Grand Jury love cutting edge comedy, so we sent a message to Dangerous Dan to congratulate him on ability to satire in a time of crisis. Ever the professional, he sent us back this:

May the one true living God bless you NGJ with His Saving Truth and Everlasting Love! (John 3:16) We at Catch the Fire Ministries will keep praying for you to believe the Bible (Word of God) as the mighty Voice from Heaven that calls to you, “NGJ, I died on the cross for you and rose from the dead to save you from eternal death, hell and destruction! Repent of your unbelief / doubt and surrender your life (past, present and future) to Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord before it is too late! Time is running out as you will soon stand before Him face to face as your Final Judge! Say, 'Yes to Jesus, Yes to Heaven Forever!' Say, 'No to Jesus, Yes to Hell Forever!' Make the Right Choice, Your Eternal Future Depends On It!

Surprisingly, Danny has as yet not done any benefit gigs in the affected area's. Anyone wanting to contact Danny and his friends can do so here.

As for wine this week, hmm, it's a been tough one and while I should go Victoria again, I'm going to plump for the Penley Estate Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. While Coonawarra has had it's problems - and it's detractors - I've always been a big fan. I'll talk more about that later, but in the meantime the Phoenix is a good, affordable example of Coonawarra Cabernet. It's got the classic characters of pencil shavings, cassis and black fruit, and the oak is subtle and well integrated. A fuller style perhaps, but it's still great Coonawarra Cabernet for less than $20. Too easy.

That's it. I've got some leisure time free, so I'm off to repent. Be seeing you.

That's Entertainment

2009-02-16T13:02:00.000+11:00

Coming to a building site near you.

After every disaster, there's always the aftermath. Not the rising casualty list or mass scale clean-up operation, but the inevitable celebrity telethon where C-listers, has-beens and never will be's get to wipe a tear away in front of the camera while you count how many times my heart goes out is used over a 5 minute period.

If anyone is in any doubt about the existence of God, then they only need to ask if a higher being would inflict the strange and terrible Australia Unites on us. As I flicked on last Thursday night, Kate Ceberano was belting out a duet with some badly dressed bricklayer who had somehow wandered onto the stage. Kate maybe a loon, but she can at least sing, which is more than can be said for other bloke. His face tried to convey some emotion, and as he struggled for those elusive high, middle and low notes, we all felt his pain.

If this wasn't enough, someone called John Farnham talked about the good old days, whenever they were, and we laughed out loud as some other fat white man made jokes about the girls in the studio. Hilarious stuff.

Perhaps in the future, instead of having a telethon to raise money, we raise money so that they don't have a telethon. It's just an idea.

Anyway, onto the wine, and it's no surprise that they're both Victorian. I've criticised De Bortoli a couple of times about size of their portfolio and that they have a wine for every price point and demographic, but I'll forget that for now and commend them for the Sero Merlot Sangiovese 2006. I've read several good things about this wine both here and the UK, but for some reason it's been hard to source. I finally tracked some down last week and I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear that it was well worth the wait. Characters of both the Merlot and Sangiovese were evident but were well merged. Dry, very savoury with bright acidity and firm, chewy tannins. Good stuff indeed.

In a similar mould is the Dal Zotto Sangiovese Cabernet 2005. The King Valley, when it too is not fighting off fires, is starting to emerge as not only a quality region, but also a region that is different, and perhaps more grounded in Europe, than some others. The Sangiovese Cabernet is similar to the Sero in that it's dry, and savoury, but it's denser, more leathery and if tasted blind, I'd be struggling to guess it's nationality. A great wine and like the Sero, would be a good partner to a pizza or something involving pasta and tomatoes.

So, forget the Telethon and their good intentions. Buy Victorian wine, give to the Red Cross appeal and hope that the affected communities stick two fingers up to bushfire and come back even stronger.

I'll be back very soon to talk about my very good friend Danny Nalliah. Bet you can't wait. Until then, be seeing you.

A Good Day for Bad News

2009-02-09T17:13:00.006+11:00

Regular readers of this blog will know that it's not uncommon for me to deliberate over postings, and frequently say that I've been hitting the delete key. However, the weekends events left me struggling for words even more than usual. I don't have the ability to add anything intelligent to what's already been written and well, now perhaps isn't the time for my low-rent inane ramblings.

So, all I will say is All Hail Victoria, my adopted state. We don't know what's going to happen to parts of Victoria's 2009 vintage (read Bella Bacchante for an overview of the devastation caused to Victorian Wine areas), but in the meantime, next time you go to the bottle shop, buy a bottle (hell make it two) of Victorian wine. You don't need to do it out of charity, just do it because it's good. As I watched the events unfold over the weekend I drank a David Traeger Verdehlo 2008, and the Cosmo Basket Press Shiraz 2006. Both were delicious and both resolutely Victorian. I'll discuss them further later on, but now isn't the time. Just drink and enjoy.

I'm not prone to employing stirring, clichéd quotes, but when Kevin Rudd said that Hell had visited Victoria, I though about the quote from Churchill, who said 'When you're going through Hell, keep going'. A faint whiff of cheese I know, but frankly I don't care.

Be seeing you.

Can't get out of the Kitchen

2009-02-03T13:00:00.004+11:00

Sorry for the lack of posting recently, but it's been too darned hot. I'd almost promised myself not to use the recent inclemency's as an excuse, but well, why not.

Normal service will be resumed soon, until then drink something cold.

Be seeing you.

Brigado, erm, Grigio

2009-01-19T12:52:00.015+11:00

It's hard to believe, but when I was at Journalist College, I often reached the lofty heights of top of my class. However, my stock fell lower than a Wall Street soothsayer when I wrote an article regarding the disposition of the average Italian. I won't go into detail, but it's safe to say that what I thought was a playful piece toying with European stereotypes actually bordered dangerously close to blatant racism.

Good old Italy, great place for a holiday. Just don't go with more than half a dozen friends or they'll ask you to form a government. Ho ho.

Anyway, it doesn't take a cheap amateur hack like me to remind us of the great and iconic wines that hails from Italy; Barolo, Chianti Classico, Brunello and the super Tuscans are all well known names but there's also Pinot Grigio, which is essentially little more than an unstable mutation of Pinot Noir. You'd be safe putting a few bucks on the fact that I don't care much for the variety, or wave flags for it's Alsace cousin, Pinot Gris. There's been a torrent of Pinot Grigio coming out of Italy, some of it OK, some not so OK and some that you might consider using on your Gran's brass. For some reason it's proved to be a massively popular import into the US, and there's also more and more producers in Australia that are experimenting with both the Gris and Grigio styles. Imagine my surprise then, when I found myself purchasing a bottle of Yalumba Y Series Pinot Grigio 2008. I've no idea why I did it, maybe it was heat, maybe it was the pressure. Either way, I'm glad I did as the Yalumba is a great summer wine for under $10. It's a zippy little thing, with lots of crunchy green apples, citrus as well as some tropical and blossom notes. The acidity is bright, and might have a row or two with your reflux, but chill it down when it's hot, serve it with some seafood and you're onto a winner. Not often I'm surprised by wine, but this is one of them. The Y series seems to have a growing reputation for delivering good, affordable wines and I'm starting to see why.

Anyway, stay cool. Be seeing you.

Let's Talk About Feelings

2009-01-14T12:52:00.011+11:00

I've long realised that I've got a first class, express ticket to Hell, but that doesn't worry me. The fact that I'm going to be sharing the heat with a murder of game show hosts however, does. At least rapists, murder's and robbers can take some satisfaction from their work.

Burn baby, burn

Game show hosts aren't really relevant to this post, but then they're not really relevant to anything, so onto the wine. I'm sure a lot of people will baulk at the idea of coughing up over $100 for a sparkling wine that isn't from Champagne, but not me. Oh no. Why give money to the French when all they'll do is buy more onions and say 'haw hee haw hee haw' an awful lot? If you want world class sparkling wine from nearer to home, then look no further than the Macedon Ranges and the Hanging Rock LD Cuvee VII. This is a big wine that's been described as being very much in the Style of Bollinger. If you don't know what Bolly tastes like, then don't worry, that makes two of us. The Cuvee VII is a rich, intense and powerful wine that's spent 9 years resting on the lees prior to disgorgment. There's little in the way of dosage (according to the website on 2g per litre) and overall, it's stunning. It was opened for an anniversary, but really, my wife deserves more than something fizzy for being married to me.

Next up is the Campbells Rutherglen Muscat. I'm guilty of a lot of things when it comes to wine, and one of them is my constant crowing about how good, and affordable, Australian desert wines are. No crime there I hear you say. Well no, but perhaps I should subscribe to what I prescribe and actually go and buy some myself. Still, no need when my good friends are happy to do it for me. Campbells are infamous for their Muscat, and rightly so. It's thick, sweet, delicious and tastes of raisins and dates and stuff. I can't give you any more detail, as I was simultaneously shovelling a large slice of cheesecake into my mouth at the time. I can tell you that the Campbells won a Decanter award though, which might actually mean something.

Well, that's it for now. Be seeing you.

Let's Do The Twist Again

2009-01-07T12:34:00.017+11:00

Aren't they pretty.

So, another new year then. 2008 was something of a funny year, but even so, I'm not laughing. Its gone now though, consigned to the history books as just another four digit number and we won't know how important, or unimportant, it's really been until Mother History tells us one way or another.

Major cities across the world heralded the arrival of the new year with massive firework displays, and while a cynic might suggest that spending $2.5m on 11 minutes of boom is $2.5m that could be better utilised elsewhere, I'm not one of them. I just love watching things blow up, just like the Israelis, who had some special firework displays all of their own. Don't worry, I can hear the sharp intake of air from here, so refrain from writing anything else as it's too early in the year to be offending anyone just yet.

All this excitement though has made me remember Lebanon's infamous Chateau Musar. I say infamous as I've read a couple of times that it's one of the worlds most written about, and sometimes polarising, wines. Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure, but I will say it's an interesting wine that should be tried at least once. Have a look at the excellent Wineanorak's article, or at the Ch. Musar website itself. There's also some interesting stuff about the difficulty Lebanese viticulturists face, as well as the strategic importance of the Bekaa Valley in this Decanter online piece.

I'm not sure where Musar is available in Australia, but I believe that the Prince Wine Store in Melbourne always carries a vintage or two. Also from Lebanon, if you can find it, is the excellent Massayer. Again, might be hard to track down but worthwhile if you can. I was introduced to both by a good friend in London, and if I remember correctly, I favoured the Massayer over the Musar. Fascinating, I'm sure you'll agree.

As for NYE itself, I didn't even make the bells, but then, I never do. I don't even have any reports of great bottles consumed the course of a wild and raucous evening, just something fizzy and French.

However, I did manage to enjoy a bottle of Port Phillip Estate Chardonnay 2006. This is a tight, lean Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula that like many modern Australian Chardonnays, has some oak influence but little or no Malolactic fermentation. There's some citrus and some grapefruit in there and overall it's a delicious example of how good the Mornington Peninsula is starting to become for the variety.

Well, that's it. I'll be seeing you. Happy New Year folks.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-26T10:50:00.006+11:00

Happy Christmas to all our readers and to any non Christians, just be glad that you're not celebrating the birth of Consumerism, sorry I meant Jesus and enjoy the time off work and the fact that 50% of stuff you buy doesn't end up in a landfill somewhere.

No special wines to report, So, drink lot's of whatever's going, steal some of grandmothers tranquillisers and hope the whole sorry affair will be over as quickly as possible.

A quick mention, before I go, to the Saltram No 1 Shiraz 2003. It's a big, concentrated Shiraz, weighing in at 15% abv with ripe, jammy black fruit that's almost port like. A really well made wine and a prefectly good reason not to look to the Barossa for Shiraz. The American's however, will love it.

I drank a good Pinot from Central Otago, but I can't recall what it is. Never mind.

That's it. Be seeing you.

It never got dull enough for me...

2008-12-12T13:40:00.013+11:00

As close to Burgundy as I the Jury gets....

Every good boy deserves fudge, except I don't have any and besides, it's bad for your teeth.

Sometimes though, you get what you need, not what you want, and last weekend I needed something. Illicit drugs and call-girls were strictly off limits so I attempted a rare raid on the cellar, forgetting that I'd hidden the keys for my own safety. I quickly went to retrieve a tyre iron from the car before realising that as well as forgetting where the keys were, I'd also forgotten to lock the cellar in the first place. The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Oh yes.

My cellar is a dusty, barren old space that has seen less action recently than Michael Jackson. However, there's a couple of treats in there, one of them being the Toolangi Reserve Chardonnay 2004. This blog has long been fans of Toolangi, and their entry level chardonnay at around $22 is stunning. Expectations were high for the Reserve.

Now at this point, if I were a real wine critic, and this was a real wine review, I'd use the word 'Burgundian'. I think that we knows what that means; it means that the critic is suggesting that the wine is like those from Burgundy, which I'm lead to believe is in France. Wrong. What he/she is actually saying is 'I'm a pretentious lizard who knows only the rich and evil drink Montrachet, and you can only dream about it'

Ho ho. I'm just kidding, I love wine critics, really. Anyway, I won't say that the Toolangi is
Burgundian; instead I'll say that it's a superbly made Australian Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley, orchastrated by Rick Kinzbrugger at Giaconda. Rick is obviously a man who knows what malolactic fermentation is and, believe me, he's not afraid to use it. The Toolangi has seen 100% secondary fermentation, with rich butter and oak all evident. However, its tight with a lovely weight and mouthfeel and perfectly judged acidity. There's also lots of complex stone and citrus fruit that follows through to the finish and overall, it's delicious and one of the best Australian chardonnay's I've tasted. Big call, I know but I'm standing by this one. It may cost $70 or so, but it's worth every cent.

Burgundy, who needs it? Leave it as a colour.

That's it, be seeing you.

A No Horse Town

2008-12-09T17:09:00.015+11:00

Yarck is somewhere here. Somewhere.

Yarck isn't a one horse town; the horse left in fear of being sexually molested. I'm not sure what the population of Yarck is, but I'm pretty sure that the horse leaving had a major impact on the census.

Yarck is a dot on a map, the sort of place you wouldn't know about unless you lived there; I've driven through it numerous times and never even noticed it. It's situated somewhere in the middle of Central Victoria and is nothing more than a couple of run down shopfronts and a gas station. I could say that the dirt doesn't even hang around very long, but you get the idea.

With this in mind it must have been either charity, insanity, or both, that made the owners of upmarket South Yarra eatery Da noi open The Tea Rooms of Yarck there. Either way, The Tea Rooms are pretty good, even if they don't serve tea. It's a place where you don't order, you just eat and try and keep up as a constant plethora of Sardinian delicacies are bought out. What I like about TRoY, apart from the name that Trading Standards might get irked over, is that although their food is proudly Italian, their wine list is distinctly local, with the majority of the list being made up of nearby Central Victorian examples. Victoria has more quality boutique wineries than it knows what to do with and produces some stunning and diverse wines, and local restaurants should be ensuring that they do their best to stock them.

Well a big cyber high-five to the TRoY, which stocks the Lost Valley Wines 2007 Cortese which is, as far as I'm aware, the only example of Australian Cortese available. To those that don't know, or are too lazy to look, Cortese is the grape behind one of Italy's renowned Cortese di Gavi from the Piedmont region. For that reason alone the Lost Valley version is worth checking out. Parker likes it a lot, and rightly so. Although the citrus and green fruit aren't overly obvious, it has a great weight and texture, and a level of acidity that make it great with food. Some nice spice on the finish and overall it's delicious and different.

That's it for now, be seeing you.

A Murmur, Darkly

2008-12-03T13:47:00.000+11:00

Bruce Willis' responds to rumours that Planet Hollywood will soon be serving Windy Peak Pinot

When someone claims that you can buy great pinot for under ten bucks you have to ask whether they a) made the wine, or b) still believe there to be some medicinal value in snake oil. In his recent Top 100 advertising promotion for Dan Murphy's, James Halliday suggested that the De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Noir 2008 is well, really good, and awarded it 92 points.

I know; it's a sub $10 wine and maybe not really worth committing so many words to it, but as a recent thread regarding this wine on the Auswine forum demonstrated, nothing quite stirs wine lovers passions like Pinot, even if it is at the beggars end.

I like De Bortoli and believe that, despite their huge portfolio, they make some pretty good wines. Steve Webber rightly deserves he credit he gets and the Windy Peak Chardonnay 06 (and a lesser extent the 07) is a pretty good value chardonnay. I even like the Estate Sauvignon, and that's saying something. Even so, I had my doubts about the pinot; Australian pinot and I have always had a 'Don't call me, I'll call you' relationship and I've had more misses than hits in my unending quest to find quality examples.

Halliday got all excitable about the wine making techniques used in the Windy Peak such as whole bunch fermentation, cold maceration and some hand harvesting, but like Bruce Willis, it just doesn't sing. Yep there's varietal fruit and acidity is balanced, but it's a thin insipid drink that, ten dollars or not, just isn't very nice.

A more cultured wine critic will tell you that your view on this wine will depend on how you like your pinot, as some prefer a young, fruit forward style with little in the way of secondary characters, and others prefer the less fruit driven, meatier Burgundian style. However, I just think that if you believe Cranberry Juice & Vodka the height of sophistication, then the Windy Peak is for you.

Now go and tell me how much you love this wine, until then I'll be seeing you.

The Horror, The Horror...

2008-12-01T12:38:00.016+11:00

No one knows the damage this can do to the socially inept.

It's easy sometimes to mock people that like computers; the lack of basic social skills, the bad dress sense and an intimate knowledge of the Batmobiles schematics are easy ammunition, but I've always tried to defend these unfortunate creatures as without them, I wouldn't be able to generate the magic of this blog. However, two days in close proximity to some of their kind has left me feeling slightly soiled, and I've shelved plans to watch any science fiction films any time soon.

For some reason I don't fully comprehend, I was sent to an Information Technology Gulag for education. Don't ask, it still stings. I've tried to block out the experience, but I can painfully recall jokes about Boolean Algebra, mobile phones strapped to arms like bandoliers, branded company polo shirts tucked into ironed jeans and people so fat they think a gymnasium was something used by the Spanish Inquisition. Someone more prepared would have armed themselves with methylated spirits or a large bore hunting rifle.

I got out of there as fast as I could, and needing a drink my choice of wine was based purely on what I could get my hands on the quickest, so the D'Arenberg Stump Jump 2007 and I were soon on first name terms. It's a simple but earthy blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Shiraz with some soft red fruits and soft tannins. While it's at the bottom end of the D'Arenberg food chain, and a bit rough around the edges, it's a good value wine that unlike many of it's peers isn't over sweet for a budget wine. It also helped me forget computers, which can only be a good thing.

I'll talk more about D'Arenberg later as I'm a bit of a fan, until then I'll be seeing you.

And now for something completely similar

2008-11-25T13:26:00.018+11:00

Some nice jelly, yesterday

I am so out of practice with posting that it's making my head hurt. I've been hitting the delete key so hard my fingers have blisters and I've discovered that the blank screen is far more interesting than anything I've tried to commit to it. Maybe it's a lack of sleep that's done it. Sleep has been at a been something of a premium recently and I'm so tired that I'm starting to think that I'm a character in a Hunter S Thompson book. I'm not entirely sure why he needed all that mescaline, acid, uppers and downers to reach such a paranoid, delusional state when all you need to do is stay for a couple of nights with friends with young children.

On Monday night I was so screwed that instead of reaching for a quality bottle of Onyabach Vodka, I opened a bottle of Goonawarra Chardonnay 2004. There's a funny story about me finding the Goonawarra winery in Sunbury after being chased off the more famous Craiglee Estate across the road, but after typing it up, I discovered that it's not that funny. Really. Anyway, Chardonnay is the civilised way to assist in passing out, especially if it's as delicious as the Goonawarra. As you may suspect, these tasting notes are from the bottle label, and I'm merely agreeing with them. It's mid weight Chardonnay with some lees contact, limited malo and plenty of French oak. There's some nuttiness, citrus and stone fruit characters with a zip of acid and all in all it's delicious. A couple of years in the bottle has done it a world of good and I reckon it could have gone a couple more if I'd allowed it to.

There, that wasn't so hard, was it? I'll be back soon. Be seeing you.

Caught In Session

2008-11-21T14:31:00.003+11:00

So we have a new name, a new author and a new focus. Things are going to be different from now on folks; no more procrastination about names, image, upsetting people, or what cheese goes best with an aged Riesling. I'll be taking over from my good friend Rawshack, though I'm sure he'll be popping up like a bad smell from time time to time.

Sit tight, and do not set your phases to stun, in a couple of weeks we should be good to go.

As Rawshack would say, be seeing you

Big Wheels Keep On Turning

2008-11-05T14:48:00.002+11:00

I still haven't decided upon a new name for the blog, though it's not for a lack of trying. It seems the harder I try and the more research I do, the more confused I get.

I'm still deliberating on whether to start a new blog or keep sailing on this ship. I've set a deadline to get things up and running, and I'll be back as soon as I get that my peanut head working again

Stay tuned, be seeing you.

The Star is dead, long live the Star

2008-10-27T09:02:00.004+11:00

Following some long and hard deliberation, we've decided that the name has to go. We're not the Northcote Branch of the Communist Party of Australia, so we move on. Until I/we think of something better, the blog will be nameless.

A good suggestion might win a prize, then it again it might not.

Blitzgrieg Plonk Pt 3

2008-10-23T08:46:00.004+11:00

I was going to try and say something clever about this being another Bendigo wine review, but as I'm not really very clever I won't even try. I like Bendigo and I'm not afraid to say it.

The Water Wheel Bendigo Shiraz 2006 is a big wine. It smells of Earthy black fruit and vanilla and tastes of blackcurrant, liquorice, pepper and spice. I'm not kidding when I say it's big and the pugilistic tannins need to soften for an hour or so in a decanter. It's a really well made shiraz with great length and at $18 this is a great bargain; at the $10 or so I paid it's stunning. Someone called it honest, and I think they might be right.

I've not encountered Water Wheel until seeing the Memsie Red recommended in this weeks Age Epicure supplement. Some further investigation reveals they've recieved some impressive praise from the likes of Parker, Halliday et all. Quite how I've been ignorant of them for so long is a mystery, but they're another reason why people should be looking at Bendigo more often.

That's all for now. Be seeing you.

Blitzgrieg Plonk Pt 2

2008-10-21T13:15:00.007+11:00

Gary Walsh once wrote on Winorama that he wasn't a huge fan of Australian Sparkling wine and I'm inclined to agree; there's an large amount of claptrap that sells purely because it has bubbles in it. Michael Jackson liked bubbles, and look what happened to him.

Tasmania though might just be Australia's Ivanhoe in the Bois-Guilbert world of sparkling wine; yes, the Island is cool climate and all that stuff but I'm typing not thinking at the moment so go and read a book about it instead. The Clover Hill 2003 is from Tasmania and it's a stellar savoury sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and the two Pinots. It's aged for three years on the lees in the traditional method so it has the doughy bread characters along with citrus and green apples and a what seems like a small dosage. It's complex with a great weight and length and while it might well evolve further in the next couple of years its drinking great now. The Hanging Rock LD Cuvee VII apart, I'm yet to find a better sparkling wine from the mainland, though I'm sure that someone's going to try and prove me wrong.

See, I've done all the work for you, who needs a book.

I'm not sure that's 90 seconds or less, but it'll do. Be seeing you.

Blitzkrieg Plonk Pt 1

2008-10-20T17:12:00.005+11:00

I've been listening to too many old Ramone records recently so the next three posts are going to the 90 second masterpieces and to hell with punctuation.

Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 2007 - I like what Kooyong are doing but I've never warmed to the Massale too much. However, the 2007 is pretty good. It's youthful with vibrant red fruit and bright acidity. It's not particularly elegant but then maybe it doesn't want to be. It opened up after an hour in a decanter and maybe another year or two might do it good. Who knows. Either way it's a pretty good pinot for the price ($25-8 ish depending on how frugal you are)

I'll be back with Part 2 soon, be seeing you.

We're at the Lane's End

2008-10-16T15:23:00.014+11:00

I had planned to launch an all out assault on people who claim not to like chardonnay, even going so far as to suggest possible incarceration and re-conditioning in some sort of Chardonnay Gulag for non believers. However, it's a Friday and I'm feeling a love for my fellow man, so the Gulag idea will have to wait. Interestingly though that I was speaking to one of the owners of Ten Minutes By Tractor recently, and we discussed how Sauvignon's popularity shows no sign of abating. Paradoxically, or ironically depending on your point of view, they claimed that Chardonnay is by far their biggest seller (I don't have any case figures) and they always sell out. Interesting.

I'm a fan of the Macedon Ranges where the uber-wonderful Curly Flat heralds from and another delicious, but perhaps less well known example is the Lanes End Chardonnay 2005.

I actually first tasted this a few months ago against the Curly Flat and a Yabby Lake, and even although it's almost half the price, it really held it's own against its more pricey competitors. I think it falls into Halliday's category of the 'modern Australian' chardonnay of being somewhere between a Chablis and a Burgundy. The Lanes End has lovely citrus and nectarine, cashew nuts and a great weight and balance. It's tight, with controlled oak and has great persistence that should develop over the next couple of years.

I've spoken before about having a bias toward small, independently owned wineries and Lane's End are probably a good example of this; production is limited, they focus on a small number of varieties and believe that great wine starts in the vineyard. They also practically dry grow, so there's even more to commend them. They also respond to The Stars emails and are nice to us, which is always a good thing.

The Macedon Ranges Budburst Festival is on the 08/09 November where they, and other wineries in the region, open their doors. Well worth a visit.

The Lanes End costs around $28 and is available from the winery or King & Godfree on Lygon Street.

Be seeing you and have a good weekend.

Know your (merlot) rights, all three of them

2008-10-09T13:47:00.021+11:00

I was going to start this post by saying that Merlot is a bit like Kyle Sandilands; i.e. it's popular but no one really understands why. However, unlike Kyle, Merlot is not completely without merit. It's a key component in the great Pomerols such as Le Pin and Petrus, and indeed 95% of the vineyards for the latter are purely Merlot. Outside of Bordeaux though Merlot's name gets slightly dirty - not quite Stockbroker dirty - but soiled all the same.

In the New World it tends to be picked slightly riper, which can lead to a more 'easy drinking' style with softer tannins and warm plummy fruit. Nothing wrong with that I hear you say, so what's the rumpus? Well apart from a number of wine writers (read Huon Hooks comments in the 2008 Wine Report as an example) bashing it, here in Australia we're not really had a good history with the variety. I've heard and read comments that we've not got the right clones and/or that we're simply crap at it. Either way, Australia does not make world class and anyone who says different is an idiot, or has been drinking.

Here at The Star we've sampled some OK Australian Merlot, though little that's been truly memorable. The Elderton Barossa Merlot 2005 however was more than a memento. Here's some words to describe it: Plums,blackcurrant, dark cherries, soft tannins, medium to full body, earthy spice, controlled oak, class and elegance. There you go. Take what you like and ignore the rest, we don't mind.

It's rightly garnered universal praise from the Parkers and Walsh's of the world, although this esteemed blogging colleague probably needs a hug. As regular readers will know, here at The Star we're not the Barossa's biggest fans, but since it's Elderton, and we like them for some reason, we'd recommend you go and buy some.

Viva la (merlot) revolution. We'll be back shorty with a report on the Peoples Democratic Republic of Pinot tasting at the very prolateriat Bistro Vue. Be seeing yo.

The Miracle of Genuine Pyrex

2008-10-07T12:36:00.009+11:00

Now I'm not suggesting for a minute that the wine writers at The Age are monitoring this blog with a Patriot Act like fervour, and I'm sure it's just coincidence that Saturday's A2 supplement featured Chenin Blanc in their wine section following my short, but oh so sweet, post on the subject last week.

The Age recommended a couple of bottles from Vouvray, probably because it's the popular destination for Chenin, but I say Vouvray Schmouvray. Get to Europa Cellars and ask for a bottle of the excellent Domaine des Baumard Savienneres Clos St Yves 2005. It's a terrific wine that's wonderfully textural, with characters of citrus, honey and toasty nuts. I'm probably guilty of using the word structure too often but in this case I think I can get away with it. The line and length are fantastic, there's a lovely minerallity to it and to quote Vanilla Ice, it flows like a hawk. I know that $44 can probably buy you decent pornography, but it's a great food wine and you can't buy anything from Australia like this. The Wine Spectator gave this 90 points and as Sarah Palin might say, it's darn tootin'.

I'll be back shortly to talk more merlot, until then I'm off to count how many supperlatives I've managed to shoehorn into this post. Be seeing you.

I am a Winner

2008-10-01T17:00:00.001+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I finally received the results of my WSET Level 3 Advanced exam, and I passed. With a merit. Apart from demonstrating mild arrogance & conceit, as well as trying to prove some sort of qualification for writing this blog, I'm quite happy as exam success and I aren't usually used in the same sentence. In fact when told my mother her first response was 'why didn't you do so well at school?' Well to start with I wasn't drinking at the time, unlike most of my teachers. Anyway, t's safe to assume that I'm pretty pleased with myself, and I expect to be for some time. You can send me flowers if you like, I won't mind.

The Wine and Spirit Education Trust is great as apart from learning that Guyot is not actually a French Porn star, they teach you how to taste without looking like a prawn. Have a look at the website for more information as it's better than what I can say and besides, I'm not on commission.

My celebratory purchase was not only modest, but another symptom that my bad case of Pinotphilia is getting worse. I'm not sure that Pinotphilia is a word, and if it is, perhaps it shouldn't be. The Meyer Pinot Noir 2007 (Prince Wine Store $53) not only has a great label (see below) the winemaker, Timo, is also the winemaker at very good Gembrook Hill (see previous notes for the Gembrook Hill Sauvignon). The bloke at the Prince raved about it and Gary Walsh loved it like a brother. And there's that label.

I'm off to be smug and tell people I passed an exam. Be seeing you.

Post #6

2008-09-29T12:51:00.007+10:00

There are some things you don't stumble across much in Australia. One is vegetarian food at a BBQ, and another is Chenin Blanc. If you want to know more about Chenin, or vegetarian food for that matter, then try something called Google. You just type in words and press go, apparently it's very good.

I'm not an apologist for Chenin, but good examples from it's home in the Loire can be very rewarding. Robert Parker described the appellation of Savennieres as 'The the most underrated great white wine in the world', and if you don't have anything better to do with your time or money then check out Europa Cellars in East Melbourne. You wouldn't have guessed from their name, but they specialise in European wine and stock a (very) small, but very good, range of Chenin from the Loire.

For something a bit different there's the delicous Maréchal Cremant NV. Made from mostly Chenin in the Traditional Method, it's dry, crisp and clean with the fruit secondary to the savoury, bready characters. For $16 from Harvest in Northcote it's a great bargain. I love a bargain, really, I do. I dare someone to show me a better sparkling wine for the money.

I've had enough so I suppose I'll be seeing you.

Post #5

2008-09-25T12:44:00.005+10:00

Finding adjectives and superlatives must be the bane of any reviewer and I'm getting to the point now where everything is either good, bad or OK. No such problems though for Mitchelton who describe, and really, I'm not kidding here, the Mitchelton 2003 Crescent as '...graceful and elegant with complex flavours and aromas culminating in a flavour sensation reminiscent of a beautiful ballet dancer at the peak of a grand jeté'

Whatever you're thinking, I'm thinking it too. To be honest I'm surprised that the winemakers in Nagambie know what a grand jeté is. Anyway, considering one of my first experiences with Australian wine was at very nice Mitchelton winery & restaurant, I'm mildly surprised that I don't have more of their produce in the cellar. Maybe they're shadowed by the historic Tabhilk, and I find their range solid rather than spectacular, but it's hard to deny that when they get it right, their wines can be very good. You'd have to be a very mean person indeed to not accept that the Print Shiraz is something of a minor icon and the Rhone style blends, including the Airstrip Rousanne Marsanne Viogner can also be excellent.

While genuine bargains are as rare as real talent on Australian Idol, the Mitchelton 2006 Parish Shiraz Viogner might just be one. At $20 this is a perfectly executed pirouette of dark cherries and chocolate, fine tannins with an elegant build. Even better after a two hour decant. Uncle Mo stocks some in his corner shop so that must say something.

That's it. Be seeing you.

Everything Must Go

2008-09-17T14:22:00.020+10:00

I got out of bed the wrong side this morning and a dark grey is breaking through a lighter one, so while I really wanted to say something good about the Wine Society, I somehow don't think it's going to happen.

I've wrestled with this post a fair bit and when I got out the keyboard with vitriol written on it, I remembered that it's not a omnipotent global force like Microsoft I'm talking about, it's the Wine Society of Australia. For a while I almost felt remorse, but I confused it was heartburn and anyway, it soon passed. I really wanted to be objective and not just launch into a tirade, as the idea of members owning share's in a non-profit organisation who's goal is to 'Educate and promote excellence', is something that appeals to the sandal wearing, 'let's have a group hug' side of me but it's hard to be positive about a Society that sees the Thirsty Camel as something to aspire to.

I don't know who, if anyone, is in charge at the Wine Society, and I'm too lazy to look, but I imagine they're a slightly overweight used car dealer with a moustache that was modelled on Magnum P.I. and who you'd be cautious about leaving in charge of small children or anything with a moving part. I'm also mildly surprised they don't have adverts on television with a voice-over bombing us into submission with verbal napalm like: 'Prices are bloody crazy!' and 'Everything bloody thing must bloody go in the bloody crazy knock down sale!'

Call me a cynic, but I'm not entirely convinced that an organisation that lists 'To be the recognised independent authority on wine matters in Australia' is actually doing what it should be. I've said before that I'm no economist and it's no exaggeration when I say that I need help using a calculator. Maybe then I need some help understanding how the Wine Society actually works and how the scraping the ground where the bottom of the bargain bin used to be prices are benefiting the producer. Show me and I'll say that I'm wrong. Honestly.

I'm nothing though if not a hypocrite, so I'm about to recommend them for everything I've just berated them for. Australia is not renowned for great Gewurztraminer, but the Plunketts Strathbogie Ranges Gewurztraminer 2007 is a delicious example of what can be achieved in a cooler climate. It's hasn't got the weight of an Alsace, but there's plenty of varietal character of Turkish Delight, rose petals and spice tempered with some clean citrus. It's definitely on the drier side of things, but it has a lovely mouthfeel and structure. The WS are obviously clearing space for the 2008 vintage so they're offering this beauty at around $13 a bottle. Worthy of a six pack as apart from being a good food wine (like salt & pepper squid), it should develop over the next couple of years. Halliday only gave this 88 points, but it won a Gold Medal in Le Concours Des Vins Du Victoria. I'm not sure whether that's something to be proud of but as they seem to agree with me on this, I'll say it is.

As Fat Mike said, I'm all out of angst so I'm off. In the meantime you can tell me about all the other great stuff the Wine Society do apart from flog cheap plonk.

Be seeing you.

Post #4

2008-09-12T13:05:00.007+10:00

My draft posts are stacking up so I better get posting. Last week saw me finally receive the results of my WSET exam and if you can handle the suspense I'll go into more detail when I get a chance, but in the meantime a quick report on the Hanging Rock Bendigo Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. I'm aware this is more Bendigo Cabernet but in my defence Hanging Rock are based in the Macedon Ranges. That's flimsy, I know.

I'm a fully paid up member of the Hanging Rock fan club and the Cabernet is another reason to keep the subscription up to date. The nose has all the classic blackcurrant, cedar and eucalypt and there's also dark cherry, which carries onto the palate with some chocolate and liquorice. Although it faded a bit at the back palate, the tannins are fine, oak well integrated and acidity bright and balanced. It seems to have fallen under the radar somewhat as I haven't found many reviews, but the winery is reporting that it's a sell out so that says something, perhaps. Either way it's good, solid Cabernet that shows a sense of place and definitely one to drink now.

I won't make a habit of turning the blog into Obituary Central every time someone I know passes away, but a quick word for my Godmother, Isabel. It's safe to say that while she may not been dealt the best hand, she loved being at the table and made a pretty good game of it too. She'll be missed.

Keep tuned, I'll be back soon.

Rosebud

2008-09-12T08:49:00.013+10:00

Call me a cynic, but I suspect that whoever is posting under 'anonymous' is having a joke at my expense regarding their love of Rosemount wines. I know that Rosemount have their detractors, and some critics dismiss the diamond shaped bottles and wines to serve iced as novelty but I'm eager, well sort of eager, to know if they warrant all the bad press.

My experience with Rosemount is limited, so any starting points would be welcome and may God be with me.

Be seeing you.

Stuff

2008-09-09T16:22:00.016+10:00

I'm going to be making more changes to the layout etc of the blog as all that black made me want to go and listen to Bonnie Prince Billy records. Bear with me while I tinker, the layout will probably change a few more times before I'm happy.

People are also asking me if this is some sort of site for the Melbourne Communist Party Wine Club. I don't if the communist party have a wine club, but even so, I'm toying with changing the name. Again.

That's it for now.

Post #3

2008-09-09T13:39:00.015+10:00

This weekend was a blur. If you've ready or heard anything else about my weekend, it's not true.

I’m still concused and confused and as none of the weekends wines were spectacular I’ll try and keep this brief. Let’s start with some sparkling. Friends in the industry often give Chandon (www.greenpoint.com.au) a bit of a kicking and based on the Domain Chandon Brut 2004, I can understand why. It’s hard to get enthused by a Kraken of the Champagne industry oozing its oily tentacles into both California and the Yarra Valley, and who assume various disguises depending upon the market. World domination my mediocrity is only a credit card swipe away.

The Vintage Brut is a single vintage made in the traditional method and had some green and citrus fruit, along with some classic yeast and bready characters. The balance and structure were OK, but like a children’s party, it had a bit too much sugar than what was good for it and overall it was bit lumbering and unrefined. Not bad, and you wouldn’t mind if you drank it at a party, but at $24 there are better options. I will persevere and try the well regarded Chandon ZD (zero dosage) when I get a chance.

I’ve read a lot of good stuff about the Charles Sturt University (http://www.csu.edu.au/winery/cellar-range.htm) Orange Chardonnay, and Halliday included the 07 vintage in his 100 top Australian wines. Even so, I felt a slight reticence when I handed over (an admittedly measly) $12 for the Charles Sturt University 2004 Cabernet Merlot, and I should have trusted my gut feeling rather than dismiss it as the result of bad sushi. There was plenty of varietal black fruit that hadn’t diminished from the time in the bottle, but it exploded in the mid palate with not much else to support it. The high acidity was an elbow sticking in your ribs on a crowded train and there’s probably more length in an Italian Government. I don’t want to be unkind, but it’s back to school for this one. I’m sorry. I won’t let that happen again.

In the words of Vanessa Williams, I go and save the best till last. Innocent Bystander (http://www.innocentbystander.com.au/) are the second label to Giant Steps, who I seem to know a fair bit about but who’s wines I’ve somehow managed to avoid. My first foray into the world of Phil Sexton and Steve Flamstead, who have been nominated for the Gourmet Wine Traveller Winemaker of the year award, is the Innocent Bystander Bleeding Heart Sangiovese Merlot 2006. Once you get past the name there’s a really nice spicy red, with red and black fruit on the nose, earthy cherries and plums on the palate, and is savoury with a good acidity and firm tannin structure. Not perfect, but I liked it as it’s a bit raw and rustic and not uber friendly. It opened up nicely after some time in the decanter and went well with a bowl of spaghetti and tomato sauce. The website is worth having a look at and is as interesting as the wine.

Sunday saw my first father’s day and my first father’s day gift. I don’t know much about Sarsfield Estate (http://www.sarsfieldestate.com.au), but their Pinot is highly regarded and I look forward to tasting the 2005 Gippsland Pinot Noir that my son kindly gave me, hopefully sooner rather than later.

That’s it, I’ll be back soon with a couple of Bargain Bin specials

Be seeing you.

Post #2

2008-09-02T17:59:00.001+10:00

Saturday night was supposed to be sushi, a belated viewing of the film ‘Go’ and a bottle of Plunkets Strathbogie Ranges Gewurztraminer 2007, but my son’s amateur dramatics meant that things didn't go as planned, so we resorted to late night pizza and a bottle of red; comfort does not come in raw fish.

So in an unplanned continuation of my Bendigo infatuation, Saturday’s lucky winner was the Fairbank Syrah 2004. Fairbank is Sutton Granges (http://www.suttongrangewines.com) 2^nd label, but that’s not really important right now as the Fairbank was delicious; lots of black cherries and blackcurrant with some savoury black olive and pepper on the finish. Its medium bodied with a bright acidity, the tannins are soft but drying and the oak is there but well integrated. It’s nicely balanced with a good length and definitely playing on the side of Syrah not Shiraz. For $25 I think that it’s simply a really good wine and another reason why Victoria is becoming my first destination for Shiraz/Syrah. I didn’t get the floral lift from the supposed splash of viogner, but then I might have been hampered by the slice of anchovy pizza that was stuffed in my mouth. There was also a touch of sweetness which I’m not sure was residual but I’ll let it go. Bring on the Sutton Grange Estate Syrah next.

BTW I promise not to make every weekend update about my grumpy son and continued foiled plans for a romantic evening in with my wife. I’ll also try and ensure I get my tenses correct when I talk about a wine. My grammar is just appalling sometimes.

I was also going to describe the minefield that is buying cheap (i.e. sub-$10) wine, but everyone’s trying to ban minefields at the moment, so I’ll wait till later in the week.

Be seeing you

Support Your Local Bottle Shop

2008-09-01T17:36:00.008+10:00

There’s a new store in town. Havest Wine and Liquor opened a few weeks ago and is a welcome addition to Northcote High Street, which has been without a decent wine store for a while. Or at least since I've been there.

The Red Star's Lazy Image Selection Continues

The owner, Mitchell, used to manage the very good Wine Society store in the city, which has since moved/closed, depending on your point of view. Harvest has a small but well considered selection of predominately Australian wine as well as a decent range of local and imported beers. I’m not sure how competitive some of the prices are, (the latest release of Bowen Cabernet is $8 or so more than Dan Murphys) but it’s good to have an independent retailer in the area who not only know about what they're selling but give more than two hoots about it as well. They have tastings every Friday night and I’ll try and give regular updates of these when I can.

Harvest Wine & Liquor, 333 High Street Northcote: http://www.harvestwine.com.au/

Luke Lambert at Randalls

2008-08-29T12:13:00.001+10:00

I’m going to the football (sorry, but I can’t get used to calling it soccer) tonight so I won’t be able to go to the Luke Lambert (www.lukelambertwines.com.au) tasting at Randall’s (www.randalls.net.au) where the man himself will be there to talk through the new releases of the Luke Lambert Syrah and Nebbiolo. I’m disappointed that I’m missing this one as Luke Lambert is producer I rate highly, and readers of Winorama will know that previous releases of both the Syrah and Nebbiolo were very well received. If you’ve nothing better to do it starts at 5.30pm and there are discounts if you buy there or online.

Three posts in one week; this must be a new record.

Be seeing you and Go the Victory.

The Red Star Makes a Bungle

2008-08-28T17:07:00.002+10:00

OK, there’s a first time for everything but it looks like I caused a bit of a rumpus with my comments about Curly Flat no longer producing their Pinot, so I thought I better get this cleared up before Jeremy had a conniption fit. I emailed Curly Flat and Jeni sent me this reply:

“We certainly will continue to produce Pinot Noir (and Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio). We recently bottled the 2006 vintage of Curly Flat Pinot which will be available around next April. 2007 and 2008 vintages are maturing in barrel. Pruning is complete and the next crop will be punching out buds within the next 6 weeks. Around 70% of our vineyard is pinot noir, 25% is chardonnay and 5% is grigio. We will be planting more chardonnay and grigio as we have been quickly selling out of these varieties for several years now.”

I’m a big fan of Curly Flat and one thing one thing I really like about them is (and you might start to see a theme emerge here) is that they concentrate on producing a small range, with limited production, of well made varietals. They have a second label called Williams Crossing and while I’ve not tried any of the range they’re well regarded and I’ll try and pick some of the Chardonnay and Pinot soon. I also like that they send me nice replies to my emails and don’t tell me to stuff it up my shirt.I plan to visit them shortly and will post the report when I’m done

I was also going to say don’t blame the Sommelier at the Lakehouse for this error as it’s quite possible (i.e. more than likely) that I misheard/misinterpreted him. However, I didn’t like him too much so go ahead and blame him all you like.

Be seeing you.

Post #1 (starting from now)

2008-08-27T18:03:00.007+10:00

I’m running out of lyrics from obscure punk songs to title my posts with, so from now on I’ll just use ‘Post #1’ etc unless I can think of something witty and clever to use instead.

I said I was going to use more pictures and behold here’s a nice one, courtesy of my friends over at Storm chasers (www.stormchasers.com.au). They’re not actually my friends, and I’m not sure that they’ll like me using their pictures, but it’s pretty cool and it provides a somewhat tenuous link to my comments below about Bendigo.
This weekend I discovered that the Alphabet City cafe in Westgarth is actually pretty good. I’ve always tried to avoid it as it’s frequented by baggy trousered misanthropes and people that talk about how changing to soya milk has really helped with their bowel movements. There’s also a sign on the door that says ‘Come in and chill-ax’, and the menu is well, all over the place. However, if you can get past all the kaftans, it’s actually quite good. The menu really does have everything on it from Laska to hamburgers, but the food is decent and well priced and the place has a nice atmosphere and is usually packed for a reason.

I also discovered that the Mornington Peninsula can in fact produce good Pinot Noir. Actually, I’ve known this for a while but like a petulant child I’ve just chosen to ignore it. I have a bit of a problem with Australian pinot because some modest examples are like Ribena with some vodka chucked in and as a general rule quality means giving your wallet a sound spanking. I have another problem with the Peninsula as I don’t think that it warrants all of the attention that it gets. I know some people like the light, fruit forward style of pinot they tend to produce, but I don’t. I also think that given most peoples budgets, there's better value in Australia from other varieties. I know how dewy eyed some people get about Pinot and Burgundy in particular, but they often tend to people who lament the fact that they never wrote more poetry as teenagers.
Remember as well that Pinot isn't that far from 'Pinochet'

A poet yesterday pleading with people to drink Mornington Pinot Noir

So it’s fair to say that I wasn’t holding my breath when on Saturday night I opened the Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 (http://www.stoniers.com.au) . I’d only opted for it as In-laws preferences and the take-away sushi (from the very excellent and very affordable Kaki on High St.) dictated it. You know what’s coming. I grudgingly liked it, thought it an excellent match for the sushi and there were high fives all round for me picking such a great wine. Yay.
Before I get started though it’s worth noting that the Stonier costs around $45 a bottle, so you’d be expecting Phelps rather than Hackett.

Well grudgingly I accept I like it. A lot. Light red in colour, it has cherries and leafy, earthy strawberries, soft tannins and a really well balanced acidity. The light to medium body and cleanliness give away both it's variety and origin, but it has plenty going on and I really liked it’s texture. Ultimately, it’s just a really well made Australian pinot. I’d like to try it again in a year or two so I’ll be adding a couple more bottles to the cellar.

On Friday night my wife and I enjoyed a very grizzly baby boy and a bottle of Pondalowie 2006 Vineyard Blend. Maybe if we’d given our son a sip or two of the Pondalowie as I suggested, he might not have been so grizzly. I’m not sure where my wife get’s the idea that young children and alcohol don't go together.
I don’t know if I’ve raved about Bendigo (www.bendigowine.org.au) or Pondalowie (www.pondalowie.com.au) before and I’m far too lazy to check my previous posts, but I’m a big fan of both region and producer, and think they’re definitely worth looking out for in the future. Pondalowie have been bigged up in plently of other places; they make small quantities of very good reds, including a really great Cabernet. The Vineyard blend is made up of Shiraz, Cabernet and Tempranillo and although I’m not sure of the percentages of each, a quick Google should tell you. It’s dense and concentrated without being overripe or baked and there’s a savoury quality in the plums and dark cherries, as well as some sarsaparilla. Tannins are firm but supple and it’s quite full in the mouth and has a lively acidity to keep it balanced. Delicious, quite un-Australian and a great value at $20.

I’ll try and do more on Bendigo soon as I really am quite a fan.

That’s all for now, be seeing you.

Deconstruction Site

2008-08-22T13:06:00.000+10:00

I’ll being reaching for the lipstick soon to try and give the blog a purdy mouth, as since I’ve started I’ve not made a huge attempt to make it look good or thought too much about the about other stuff that’s going on. I’ll be updating all my links etc. and you've got any, or want to use mine then go ahead and make my day.

I’ve also been a bit hazy on what the blog’s really about; probably because I haven’t really had a clue. However, I’m sure you’ll be delighted to know that I’m starting to get a some sort of idea and I’ll try and get some kind of mission statement up in the next few days. Suggestions and comments are welcome, just so long as they’re good.

Pictures. I promise to start to use more pictures and make this a little less text heavy than it is . More pictures means less reading, which can only be a good thing.

That’s all. Be seeing you.

Another Post Weekend Update

2008-08-20T12:28:00.000+10:00

OK, I’ve got writers block, so the report on Galli will have to wait. I’ve been hitting the delete key more times than is necessary or healthy, so in the meantime here are a couple of pre-dinner nibbles until I get started in the kitchen.

I was clearing some space in the cellar last week and decided that the Bonny Doon Cardinal Zin 2003 https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/ would be good to go for Friday night. I know, the name is shocking and I think it was born of a time when some bright sparks in California decided that clever puns really were a good idea. Who could fail to see the funny side of the Marilyn Merlot: http://www.marilynmerlot.com/

Back to the Cardinal; it’s another Californian Zinfandel with a large chunk of Carginan and other stuff thrown in, this time from infamous winemaker Randall Grahm, who’s often described in the wine press as something of a character. Now whenever someone is described as a character I wonder if they have a penchant for ties which say ‘Do the Bartman’ on them, and are generally best avoided at parties. Never mind avoiding him, start with the wine. I’ve read elsewhere that this wine stands out for its leanness, but I thought it was so green that the grapes were still out on the vine waiting for some sun. Some nice flavours of red fruits and earthy liquorice, and I did leave it for the following evening to see if the wine fairy appeared to make it better. It didn’t.

So for no logical reason I turned to a Delatite Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 http://www.delatitewinery.com.au. Not exactly a direct replacement I know, but my hand was guided by God. As my previous posts will qualify, I’m a card carrying fan of Delatite and this didn't disappoint. Some nutty, buttery characters, ripe stone fruit and some interesting spice at the end. Delicious, well balanced and a good un-oaked chardonnay at around $20 or so.

To top off a rather interesting Saturday, I opened up a Terra Felix Shiraz Viogner 2006 http://www.terrafelix.com.au. Hailing from the Goulburn Valley, it has all the features of Australian Shiraz Viogner, with red fruits and a perfumed lift from the Viogner. It’s medium bodied and slightly on the leaner side of things, but not at all green, and costs about $13. I really like this wine as it is has no pretense other than being really well made and classically Victorian. It also went really well with a bowl of pasta and a viewing of the excellent Eagle Versus Shark on DVD, which was nice.

Well, that’s all for now. I promise I'll get Galli and Pizzini on line soon.

Be seeing you.

A Day Late, A Buck Short

2008-08-15T09:03:00.000+10:00

You know you're getting old when you don't switch channels when a Bruce Springsteen song comes on the radio. You also know you're getting old when you're looking forward to getting back to work. I’m counting down the days before I start my new job and the list of DIY presented to me by my wife is like a mythical Hydra – no matter how many heads I lop off they seem to spawn double.

I did get some time off though for good behaviour and took a trip to Galli Estate near Sunbury (about 45 mins or so out of Melbourne). We’ll also be heading to the King Valley in North East Victoria to complete my mission of reviewing Pizzini and I’ll post both reports in the next few days or so. In the meantime though a quick update of a couple of recent wines worthy of a mention.

I read somewhere that Hanging Rock winemaker John Ellis wanted to make a chardonnay that appealed to Sauvignon Bland drinkers, and while I’m not sure if that’s just poppycock, the Hanging Rock RockChardonnay 2007 is a simple, un-oaked chardonnay that in my view is another reason not to drink SB. It’s well put together, with citrus and stone fruit, some nutty characters, and for the $12-14 or so it’s a great value chardonnay that deserves to have more people drinking it. It won't happen though, as it hasn't got 'Sauvignon' or 'Blanc' written anywhere on the label.

Saturday night involved some friends who'd recently had some good news and as they love Cabernet, I opened a Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. Tahbilk are another winery I tend to get all cuddly about, and in good years their standard cabernet, at $16 or so, can be a great bargain.

The ESP (formerly the reserve) has won it's share of medals, but then show me an Australian wine that hasn't. It had decent structure and complexity; blackcurrants, cassis, eucalypt, black olives were all in there and it was delicious, but I couldn’t help think that it was a little stalky. Nice stuff indeed, but I was left with lingering suspicion that, at $60 a bottle, there’s possibly better cabernet out there.

That's all for now. Be seeing you.

Less Than Jake

2008-08-06T16:44:00.000+10:00

So, two weeks off before I start my new job, and a backlog of DIY stuff that’s going to keep me occupied. I spent much of yesterday trawling through my CD collection, often wondering why the hell I’d bought half of the stuff that’s in there. Why indeed.

The main headline today is that one of my favourite sites, Winorama (www.winorama.com.au), will be merging with another popular site, Winefront. My first reaction was to go and grab one of my son’s dummies to replace the one I'd spat quite some distance. Then I had a nice cup of tea, thought about it, then decided to get the tape measure and see if I could break my previous attempt.

I have a slight problem with subscription based sites; mainly because I’m cheap and naive enough to think there are still people out there passionate enough to do things without chasing dollar. However, Gary (Walsh, founder of Winorama) has put a huge amount of work into Winorama over the past couple of years, and us Winorama readers have probably been onto a good thing for a bit too long. Winorama is an great site and Gary not only does excellent reviews, but always has the time to reply to idiots like me. Gary and the other bloke from the other site have described it as a marriage, and I hope that they will be very happy together. Let’s just hope that the vicar doesn’t ask if there’s any lawful impediment.

OK, onto the bodycount. Last week I opened a Jeanneret "Curly Red" Cabernets 2004 from the Clare Valley and I won’t bore you with the notes, but suffice to say it was the vinifous equivalent of scented candles. If you like sugar in your tea, this is the place to start. I wasn’t even going to mention it until I remembered that I’d purchased it from Victoria Cellars (www.vintagecellars.com.au). They don’t need too much of an introduction; they’re a nationwide chain that, from my understanding, cater for the middle market. They stock a decent range of mid priced wines, with some decent, if slightly safe, imports. I’ve tried to do a bit of research on them but came up short, so I’ll have to rely purely on my own biased opinion. What I find interesting with VC is that I’m not entirely sure at what market they’re aiming for. They’re not cheap enough to compete with the likes Dan Murphy’s, and they don’t have the range or expertise to battle with the specialist independent stores. They also not only recommended, but fawned over the Jeanneret, and while it wasn’t atrocious, it isn’t something that I’d hurriedly use for anything but domestic cleaning with. Staff are friendly and helpful, but it’s not the first time they’ve led me astray. If anyone else has had a different experience I’d be interested to know.

If I’m after something that’s going to affect my mortgage repayments, then first stop is the Prince Wine Store (www.princewinestore.com.au). The main branch is in Bank St South Melbourne, and there's a smaller newer satellite in the Clarendon Centre (there’s also another branch in St Kilda). The Prince is famous for giving the world Matt Skinner, no bad thing, and while you’re not going to get much for $10, there is an excellent range of mid and top end domestic and imported wines. Occasionally you get the sense that one or two of the staff would rather be editing Decanter magazine, but as a whole they’re friendly, passionate and know what they’re talking about.

Cloudwine (www.cloudwine.com.au), again a chain, focus a little more on Australian regional wines. I’ve only ever been to the branch on Clarendon Street, but again, the staff are happy to chat and are passionate about wine. They also share my love for Bendigo wines so bonus marks there. They also recommended to me the excellent dalla mia Finestra Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. Dalla mia also do a great value pinot, and this is no different. It’s a lighter weight cabernet, but the fruit is good and very cabernet with some blackcurrant and cedar there. It’s a bit leafy, but not green and the structure is good. I can’t find much on dalla mia, but if anyone has any info please let me know.

That’s it for now, be seeing you.

California Uber Ali

2008-07-28T17:11:00.000+10:00

Staying at the Mantra in Parramatta is like a trip to the Dentist. You don’t really want to do go, it’s clinical and soulless and the people there tend to give small children nightmares. If you’re ever unlucky enough to find yourself in Parramatta, try a staying on a park bench instead; you’re likely to get robbed by a better class of person.
However, Friday night thankfully saw the end of my time there so to celebrate, and to kick off an unprecedented weekend of all things California, I opened up a 2000 Ridge Geyserville (Prince Wine Store, $85).
If Americans supposedly like things big, then Californian Zinfandel is a supersize testament to this; traditionally it’s high in alcohol, full bodied and has ripe concentrated fruit, sometimes with some residual sugar. This pretty much sums up the Ridge Geyserville, but to say it’s just that would be doing it a disservice. It’s superbly structured with well balanced acidity and an incredible length. There’s tinned cherries and earthy black fruit stuffed in it and although $85 is a lot of green stuff, I think that Ridge produce their wines with care that it almost seems like a bargain. Almost.
The California theme continued in the morning, with a tasting at the Prince Wine Store. A Schwarshenegger of good wines on show and too many to mention, but two that I really warmed to were the Dutton Goldfield Ranch Chardonnay 2006 and the Laurel Glen Counterpoint Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.
The Dutton has everything thrown at it, lots of oak and malolactic fermentation and I’m sure for that reason not everyone will be shelling out the $65 a bottle, but the structure is tight and it’s beautifully crafted. I don’t have any notes to hand for the Counterpoint, but it’s delicious, riper than your average cabernet and got lots of other stuff going on as well. You get the picture.
My wife and I finished our little California love-in with an episode or two of Veronica Mars, which is set in a fictional Ca. town. If you’ve not come across this before it’s essentially Buffy meets Phillip Marlowe. What makes it better than the usual crap is some very dark themes, good camera work and a really solid script. I’m sure I’m too old to be watching stuff like this but then I still think FIFA soccer is a great way to spend the night. Plus my wife likes it as it's got her name in it.

That's all, be seeing you.

Behold the Red Star

2008-07-24T12:26:00.001+10:00

So, I decided on a new name for the Blog, and hopefully it'll last longer than a head coach at Man City. I know it sounds a bit like a youth socialist group, but I like it anyway, and it sort of stems from my love as a kid of all the Eastern European football teams like Dinamo Kiev, Red Star Belgrade, Spartak Moscow etc. I also think that it'd make a good name for a bar, if I ever decide to open one.

A more appropriate name might have been 'I was talking when I should have been listening'

Now that I've got the name, I need to add some logo's and pictures and stuff, anything to detract from the quality of the writing. When I find someone who knows what the hell they're doing with computers, I'll get onto it.

My Only Friend, Linoluem

2008-07-23T20:26:00.001+10:00

I was winding up for a rant this week, but I think that having the Pope around has had a calming effect on me, so like all good things, it’ll have to wait.
I was also going to offer a competition up for a name for the blog, but in a moment of sheer genius, I think I’ve got it. I’ll run it by my wife and if she disapproves then I know that it’ll be perfect. It’s so easy to act like your twelve sometimes.

Before writing this weeks post, I asked myself that if I can’t spell Gewurztraminer properly, should I be able to write about? Well, I can’t spell much correctly and since Bill Gates gave us spell checkers, it doesn’t really matter.
I’ve tried a couple of times to best describe how unique Gewurztraminer is, how it’s hard to spell, even harder to pronounce, and how for a myriad of reasons including the ones above, it’s not on everyone’s list when they head to the bottle shop. Australia’s not famed for its Gewurztraminer either, although I’ve had a couple of decent examples, the Delatite 2005 Gewurztraminer being a good one, so I was quite excited when I read good things about the Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Gewurztraminer 2007. While it’s not going to have Alsace producers saying rude things in French, it’s decent enough, although drier and steelier than it’s French cousins. It’s got the classic characters of rose petals and Turkish delight, along with a flavour of lemonade. While it’s balanced with good acidity, it all feels a bit angular, as if it’s been bolted together. Maybe it’ll come together after a couple of years, maybe not. Even so it’s still a good example of the variety, as well as a good introduction for newcomer to the wonderful world of Gewurztraminer.

Also tasted this week was the Pizzini Sangiovese Shiraz 2006. I admit that I’m a bit biased toward Pizinni; I haven’t tried a whole lot of their wines but I like that they’re trying to create their own piece of Italy in Victoria’s King Valley. Some good Italian varietals like the straight Nebiollo and Sangiovese (a good review of the 2006 can be found at Winorama here: http://www.winorama.com.au/tasting-notes/pizzini-sangiovese-2006 ) as well as high end Super Tuscan and Barolo clones.

The Sangiovese Shiraz has bright red cherries and raspberries from the Sangiovese with the Shiraz softening and adding some black fruit. At $15 or so, it’s a simple, medium bodied wine that as they rightly state, is a wine to be drank now. What I like about this is that it’s an everyday wine with character, rather than something that’s solely been made please a mass market. I’ll be visiting Pizzini in the next couple of weeks, until then have a look at http://www.pizzini.com.au/

I was going to say something about drinking wine on planes, but it can wait. So for now, I’ll be seeing you. Oh, and if anyone knows how to add pictures properly to these shitty blogs, please contact me.

And now for something completely similar

2008-07-14T22:09:00.000+10:00

A goat, yesterday.

One thing I've learned this week is that writing a blog is hard. Any idiot can power up their laptop and get some words up on the screen, but it's difficult not to read what you've just written and think 'Does anyone actually want to read this shit?', delete the entire thing and then start all over again. Judging by the Google analytics I put on the page, no one does want to read this shit, but that's another story. I'm nothing if not perseverant. Or stupid.

Anyway, if I'd gotten off my lazy arse last week and re-written all the stuff I'd erased, you would have read something about matching food and wine, how it's not that hard if you follow a few simple rules and how one good idea is to look at certain old world wine producing countries and regions, as wines were generally made to match the local produce.

One good example, I pointed out, was Sancerre in the east of France's Loire Valley. Before the Kiwi's popped up and started churning out rivers of Sauvignon Blanc in their gazillion gigalitres, Sancerre was the spiritual home of Sauvignon Blanc, and it went pretty well with the local speciality of goats cheese. Coincidence? Maybe. This was then going to lead me on to say that I can't stand Sauvignon Blanc, or it's countless mindless minions but as I'm starting to bore myself here, I'll get to the point.

I served a goat's cheese salad last week - of which a simple and delicious example can be found in Nadine Abensur's The Cranks Bible - and thought maybe I should accompany it with this classic match of Sauvignon Blanc. Luckily for me, the Weekend Age recommended the 2006 Gembrook Hill Sauvignon Blanc.

Gembrook Hill (http://www.gembrookhill.com.au/) are a very small Victorian producer who have been making wine in the Yarra Valley since the early 80's. They partially barrel ferment the wine, which leads it away from the asparagus, capsicum cats pee that is common in Marlborough Sauvignon. What I also like about Gembrook Hill is that they're focusing on three wines of one quality bracket and to me, that indicates how much care and attention that they're putting into production. Producers like Penfolds and De Bortoli seem to produce every wine for every market and price point, and while I understand that they're big businesses, I can't help but think that you can't please all the people all the time and maybe you shouldn't try to.

Gembrook Hill have been labelled as a boutique producer, and while I think it's sometimes a rubbish term used too often, it certainly is warranted here. At $27 there are cheaper examples of Sauvignon around, but the quality and difference in style make it more than a valid purchase.

OK, that's that. A quick mention to Chateau Leamon 2005 Shiraz which I had the pleasure of tasting at the weekend. I don't know too much about this Bendigo producer - that'll be my homework for this week - but the Shiraz was delicious and had all the hallmarks of a typical Victorian Shiraz. Ripe but not jammy (I'm not at all keen the word 'Jammy', but I'm yet to find a suitable alternative) blackcurrants and raspberries, good acidity and soft, supple tannins that benefited from an hour or so in the decanter. Usual white pepper and some other spice in there as well, especially the vanilla on the nose. Not terrifically complicated, but a really good wine all the same. Next stop will be their reserve Shiraz which has apparently garnered high praise. If you can't wait till I write more about them, then look at http://www.chateauleamon.com.au/

The next post will be something of a rant, if I ever get around to it. Now there's something to look forward to.

Good night, and if you're American, God Bless.

Better late than never, maybe.

2008-06-30T08:52:00.000+10:00

OK so this is a bit late for a post weekend update, but I've been busy. Last night I sat my WSET level III exam and this morning I flew to Sydney for work. Poor pitiful me. I'll talk about WSET later, but if you can't bear the suspense http://www.wset.co.uk/

Weekend was a mixed bag, we took our son to watch Richmond play, and subsequently lose. Still, he's only 8 months so hopefully there's no long term damage. I also slept through the Euro 2008 final which I was quite looking forward to. Bummer.

Anyway, a couple of choices from the Rawshack bargain bin from that I've been meaning to write up. First is the Angoves Long Row Chardonnay 2007. This costs around $7 or so if you go to the right liquor super store, and it's exactly the sort of chardonnay that made people who hate chardonnay, hate chardonnay. The melon and stone fruit are definitely bridesmaid to the oak and butter, but it's all put together well, and it's taste's like it's worth more than the price tag. Second, based on one of Halliday's budget recommendations, is the Penfolds Rawson's Retreat Cabernet Shiraz 2007, or 2006, I can't remember, but the reason I'm crying a river over that is because Penfolds churn out these multi regional blends and the words vintage and variation are doubtful to be used in the same sentence. Anyway, it's simple black fruit, some vanilla and that's about it. Not complex, but for under a tenner you don't expect it to be, and I thought it had a rough charm that'd make be go back to it.

So apart from failure in sport (and just wait to the EPL kicks off and Sunderland start losing), the weekend was good as my wife and her friends went to watch some film about some women in a bg American city. I took one on the chin for the team and stayed home to look after Jnr. My friend David came over, we played FIFA on my xbox and then went to the pub to drink Toolanghi Chardonnay 2006. I'm not going to go into detail, as it's one of my perennial favourites and will expand later. We finished off the night with pizza from the incredible Pizza Mein Leibe, which rather fortuitously, happens to be at the top of my street. There's no web address, but the Age give it a great review. (BTW I have no idea if I'm allowed to use other people's reviews, but I doubt anyone cares)http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/29/1101577385522.html

We washed it down with a Penfolds 407 Cabernet 2004, which was delicious. Black fruit, spice and coffee on the nose, with a similar story on the palate. Some comments I've read have indicated that this needs some time to settle down, but I thought that with a quick decant, the tannins were approachable enough at this age.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'm in a hotel in Parramatta and I'm about to watch a film I've been meaning to see for some time. Let's hope it's good as I think it's going to be.

2008-06-26T16:56:00.000+10:00

OK, so I thought I'd get my first real post under my belt (I hate that term, but can't think of anything better at the moment so 'under my belt' it is)

Anyway, we had a friend over for dinner last night and, despite the fact that the last time she visited we served something that resembled something you usually associate with the long term positioning of wallpaper, it was all a bit rushed. Begs the question why she came back at all. Must be my rakish charm and boyish good looks.

Anyway, we kicked off with Coldstream Hills Sparkling Pinot Noir/Chardonnay 2001. I didn't have any notes of substance, other than it was pleasant enough and I managed to do a couple of glasses in the time its taken you to read this. I was surprised though to find that it was only bottle fermented, and wasn't theTraditional Method.
I was going to say something relevant here about why I think Coldstream Hills should be using The Traditional Method for all their sparkling wines, but it's gone.

Anyway, the main course was chili and garlic prawns with couscous. Now, for no other reason than I'm a peanut, I picked something red, light and inoffensive and ended up with a Kinloch Merlot 2005. Now, a quick note about Kinloch; they're a small winery near Jameson in the Upper Goulburn Valley region of Central Victoria, who don't really set world alight and have the celebrated Delatite winery as their nearest neighbours (Delatite make some delicious Kabinett style Riesling, as well as, in good years, some of Australia's best Gewurztraminer). However, the 05 Merlot is, if you like Merlot, not a bad wine at all. Well balanced with soft varietal fruit, soft tannins, but a little bit of something else going on to make it more than just a quaffer. Also stood up, not surprisingly, well to the strong flabours in the dish. http://www.kinlochwines.com.au/

Anyway, that's it. And please don't quote Sideways. Merlot isn't that bad.

The first thing I've got to say

2008-06-25T08:47:00.000+10:00

Is that I'm going to start blogging soon. Really, I will.

Now that's something to look forward to.