Tag Archives: australia

McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, South Eastern Australia

18 Friday Oct 2019

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Decent shade of color, medium opacity.  On the nose I get purple fruit and charcoal. With a bit of swirling it morphs into raspberry.  The initial palate has some nice black cherry and oaky char with a certain warmness to it.  Fine grained tannins immediately show up and carry me to the mid palate which turns the fruit back to that plummy, purple note I caught on the nose.  The finish is medium length, tannic and features more fruit and a dry black tea.  Overall I’m enjoying this wine for what it is- a weekday quaffer that won’t break the bank.  I would pair it with spaghetti, moussaka or even ratatouille.  87 points and 4 stars for this $8 offering, drink till 2021.  Salut….

McWilliam’s Hanwood Estates Merlot 2018, South Eastern Australia

18 Friday Oct 2019

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Very dark purple in the glass with barely traceable legs.  The aromas spilled over when I swirled the glass.  On the nose I am sensing that candied licorice that I don’t care for.  I also get pine and eucalyptus.  On the palate, it is decent for an $8 bottle.  I wasn’t expecting much complexity but this one has some nice primal fruit flavors of blackberry alongside anise, cedar and wood smoke.  What it lacks in structure it makes up for with fruitiness and verve.  A decent drink that has a trace of tannins, a bit of acidity and an easy going quaffability.  86 points would be generous but at this price, it’s good for a BBQ or a day at the picnic site.  Drink now.  3 stars.  Salut….

Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz/Mataro 2017, South Australia

21 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Mataro is also known as Mourvedre apparently….  Very dark and enticing purple in the glass.  On the nose there is lush blackberry, currant, oak.  On the palate it is straight up delicious.  Loads of black fruit, entwined with cloves, bramble and very subtle tannins.  The mouthfeel of this wine is phenomenal, very balanced and not overly dry nor acidic.  The mid palate shows off some sage brush alongside iodine with the friendly tannins running as well.  On the finish it starts to dry up a touch as the grip of the tannins kicks it up just a small notch.  Blackberry, Lapsang Souchong tea and that earthy brush are the main components of the medium length finish.  This is a really nice drop to drink now or cellar till 2027. 92 points and 5 stars for this $20 wine.  Salut….

Chapel Hill Parson Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, Australia

09 Tuesday Jul 2019

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Very dark purple, nearly black in the glass.  On the nose I get fresh blackberries, cedar, vanilla and coffee bean.  On the palate this wine is delicious- chock full of black fruits, a beautiful oak integration, medium grained tannins that caress at the right time and some very gentle acidity.  Aussie wines can sometimes get too jammy, especially with Shiraz- but this Cab Sav has ripeness and body without going over the edge.  The mid palate just continues the black fruit theme and the finish is long, dry and adds cinnamon and licorice to the back end.  Delightful.  91 points and 5 stars for this $20 bottle.  Drink till 2028 with steaks.  Salut….

Chapel Hill Parson’s Nose Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, McLaren Vale, Australia

14 Thursday Mar 2019

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A deep purple wine with medium opacity.  On the nose it is lush, full of ripe plums, graced by a deft hand of oak and blackberries.  On the palate I get a more licorice and coffee initial attack.  The dark fruits appear on the mid palate.  There is not as much plum as I had been led to believe, but the juicy acidity makes me forget quickly.  The tannins are lithe, making this a drink-now wine.  The finish is more tart blueberry than blackberry.  Somewhat short in the backend.  A tasty wine that merits 88 points from me.  For $20 it gets 3 stars.  Drink till 2021 with some burgers, pizza or lasagna.  Salut….

Two Hands Wines Angel’s Share Shiraz 2016, McLaren Vale, Australia

26 Saturday Jan 2019

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Very dark in the glass.  Nose of black jam, eucalyptus and charcoal.  On the palate there’s a rich warm black currant note with lithe tannins and a fruitcake hint.  The mid palate is very smooth with a tannic bite that kicks in. The finish is gentler, mid length and chock full of black jam, cedar and a touch of vanilla bean.  91 points and 4 stars for this $29 effort.   Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Shiraz 2016, Coonawarra, Australia

03 Wednesday Oct 2018

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Really dark purple, extruded looking.  The nose is of lush ripe plums, black cherry and cinnamon stick.  On the palate I get a very smooth intro of black currant preserves, black cherry extract and the beginnings of a dose of mouth coating tannins.  The mid palate is heavy with the black fruits and tannins.  They coat the teeth, the gums.  Rooibos tea is the balancing flavor here.  Everything else is dark and brooding.  The mouthfeel is great, if you like a dry wine.  It is not overly tannic, but will most definitely get your attention.  The finish is of medium length and focuses on the black currant preserves I got at the outset.  Overall a decent drop that gets 89 points from me and would do well with hearty game, roasted meats and even Bolognese.  $15 and 3 stars.  Salut….

Henschke Henry’s Seven 2013, Barossa, Australia

17 Friday Aug 2018

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Wow…. super dark and brooding.  I get nice, rich blackberry notes with coffee bean and vanilla extract on the nose.  The initial palate is thick with black fruit preserves, finely integrated tannins, chocolate powder and an oak hint.  The mid palate continues the theme but the tannins start to build.  By the finish my mouth is coated with caressing dryness and a blackberry meets tar note.  Intriguing.  I think this wine will open up with decanting and develop somewhat in the glass.  It is young and the potential for it to gain tertiary flavors is definitely there.  I would cellar for another 2-3 years and pair it with roast lamb all day long.  Delicious, powerful, well made and worthy of 92 points.  For $36 it is not an everyday wine, but it gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, South Australia

17 Thursday May 2018

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Very dark purple.  Nose is fruit forward with plums, blueberries, chocolate.  The palate gives off boysenberry, mocha, a woodsy note and some gum drying tannins.  The mid palate is very astringent.  Plum torte features with some oak.  The finish is dry, rather short in length and has some blue fruit alongside the tannins.  87 points and 3 stars for this $12 effort.  Salut….

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz – Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, South Australia

16 Wednesday May 2018

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Very opaque purple.  Nose of blackberry, oak and plum purée.  The palate is nothing what I was expecting.  Lush, but lithe with dark blackberry pie notes, loads of acidity with some very fine grained tannins.  The mid palate exudes smoothness with more dark fruit compote, a small dose of wood and very drinkable tannins/acidity.  The finish is rather dry with some plums appearing amongst the dark berries.  I also come away with mocha, tobacco and a touch of jam. 90 points and 5 stars for this $11 wine.  Salut….