Good Drop - A Wine Blog

Forest Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Aug 18, 2009
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Halliday gave this a 97 points, so it's only natural that I was going to buy the latest vintage from Forest Hill, a pretty great little winery with a pretty great little cellar door. Note that the picture doesn't represent the new label, which has lost the owl artwork.

Spicy notes immediately hit you with this wine, which is a rich ruby red. They are trailed by a wonderful synergy of red and black berry fruits and tobacco leaf which almost seem to dance out of the glass. The palate is a concentration of cassis, earth and bramble. Tannins are fine and perfectly balanced, complementing the palate very nicely.

Drinking this wine gives you the mistaken impression that you are drinking a very expensive bottle, and I tended to take very small sips, almost feeling guilty. But since it only retails at $20, you could quaff it down and still enjoy it! Wines like this are why Great Southern WA is my favourite wine region.

Drink with a lamb tagine.

Rated: 95 points
Tasted: August 2009
Closure: Screwcap

Deutz Marlborough Blanc de Blancs 2005

Aug 17, 2009
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Deutzmarlbdb

Drank this at the amazing Deville's Pad for my partner's birthday. I'm a fan of Deutz NV (especially when on special at Dan Murphy's), and the vintage blanc de blancs is even more excellent.

Aromas of lemon and apple with a very pleasing palate of custard tart, crisp apples, nutmeg and lemon. Very patisserie, but dry and crisp. Eager and persistent bead which feels like fruit saline in the mouth. A very refreshing and extremely likeable wine. I'd love to put this to bed for a few years and see where it goes.

Rated: 94 points
Tasted: August 2009
Closure: POP!

Annie's Lane Shiraz 2007

Aug 5, 2009
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Anniesshz

VC Tempranillo 2005

Surprisingly enough, I had never tried this before. I have suggested it a few times to others and they have enjoyed it, but that was going on region and reputation. It turned out to be pretty much as expected.

Assertive aromas of blackberries and blueberries, with almost burnt spices and a tiny whiff of nail varnish. Underneath all that, there may be a greenish, stalky note, but it's very minimal. Plummy, slightly pruney palate finishing with a slightly distracting bitterness and soft but lingering oaky tannin. I'd imagine that with a chili con carne, the good sides of this wine would really shine through. Has the feeling of a well made wine from a slightly difficult vintage.

Rated: 89 points
Tasted: August 2009
Closure: Screwcap

Vintage Cellars Chalkboard Tempranillo 2005

May 15, 2009
3 comments

VC Tempranillo 2005

Nothing like a quality bargain. I can't buy only one bottle of wine at a time, so to go with the Seppeltsfield tokay I wanted, I picked this up as well for a tenner.

This is made more in the Rioja style, rather than the typically sweeter Australian style of tempranillo. Already showing some age with a nice garnet colour. Dried fruit and herbs with some berry freshness, roast meat, finishing with leathery oak and soft, mouth-drying tannins. Acidity is high, but complimentary to the wine's character, and seems to add a sherbety feel to the finish. It changes quite drastically with time in the glass, which may indicate that its drinking time is now.

Give me a bottle of this and a roast leg of lamb with rosemary, and I'll be happy... and still have money left over for the next bottle.

Rated: 91 points

Tasted: May 2009

Closure: Screwcap

Wynns Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

May 2, 2009
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Coona

I realised that I drink far too many young red wines and, since I don't have a cellar happening yet, decided to buy a bottle of this at auction. ($32!) I have heard that this is drinking at its peak now, and thought it would be a safe choice.

Cork opened in perfect shape. Brick red in colour, reflecting its age. Slight blackcurrant and dusty tobacco aromas with most of the action happening on the palate (though this may change after being open for a while longer). Still has plenty of fruit flavour (blackcurrant, cherry), but the fruit is supported by savoury, coconutty

oak, grippy tannins and a lively acidity. I'd say it could take at least another six years without faltering. Finish is long and pleasing, and for this, it deserves an extra point.

Rated: 93+ points

Tasted: May 2009

Closure: Cork (high quality)

Random Wine Review Generator

Mar 28, 2009
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The texture is so pleasing that the wine is hard not to like. Tight and focused on the palate with layers of honeydew melon, lemongrass and guava balanced by fresh acidity. This wine is slightly less fine only because it is short across the palate - it's very up-front, you might say, and lacks the length that a better wine would have.

It's slightly limited, but still pretty great

http://curtpetersen.com/?p=6

Lost Lake Single Vineyard Shiraz 2007

Mar 18, 2009

Bought this from the lovely Lost Lake cellar door in Pemberton. I've always loved the label designs with the ammonite shell.

Chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, berries and strong aromas of coffee. Berries and chocolate on the medium-full bodied palate. Has a slight harshness about it which should soften with time. Powdery tannins and a fairly long finish. A good example of a Pemberton shiraz.

Rated: 90+ points

Tasted: March 2009

Closure: Screwcap

Tyrells Lost Block Semillon 2007

Feb 3, 2009
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Lostblock hdr

An old (cheap) favourite of mine. And Kitty's...

Aromas of limes, lemons, apples, passionfruit. Has a refreshingly crisp mouthfeel and palate evokes biting into a green apple and lemon sorbet. Seems to be hiding in its shell slightly as some whites do after a year or two, but should emerge as a slightly more interesting beast in another year or two.

Rated: 91+ points

Tasted: January 2009

Closure: Screwcap

Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2004

Feb 3, 2009
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Guigal

After watching Jancis Robinson's Wine Course

DVD, my respect for Marcel Guigal increased considerably. His rigorous vetting of the grapes used in his wines is impressive: he turned down the fruit grown by an old friend because it didn't meet Guigal's high standards. My feline friend Annabelle seemed to approve as well...

The blend comprises of 55% syrah, 35% mourvedre, 8% grenache, and 2% of something probably not worth naming.

Cherry, pepper and licorice on the nose. Meaty and spicy palate with fine, powdery tannins. Balanced levels of oak and acid.

The best budget wine in the world? Maybe not, but still great value, and one of only a very few French wines worth buying for around the $20 mark.

Rated: 90 points

Tasted: January 2009

Closure: Cock Cork

Clos Du Bois Zinfandel 2005

Jan 22, 2009
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Closdu hdr2

This was a gift from a friend's visit to her home state in California. I asked for a zinfandel because it's a rarity over here. The cork was very firm and snapped halfway, but I managed to get it out without it crumbling into the wine.

Sweet, ripe berries - blackberry, blueberry and cherry, raspberry cordial, grape soda, cola, cinnamon. Finishes with a touch of black pepper and nice, toasty oak. Unmistakably made by an American palate (I'm surprised I couldn't taste maple syrup and all-beef patties...)

Rated: 91 points

Tasted: January 2009

Closure: Cork

http://closdubois.com/