Wine reviews

Sauvignon Blanc

LAUREL BANK 2010 SAUVIGNON BLANC $24.00
Expressive, full-on gooseberry, lantana and snow pea aromas before showing a riper tropical fruit richness in the mouth, the palate nicely juicy with good depth and a pleasingly fresh, crisp, tangy finish. 13.0 pc
www.laurelbankwines.com.au

LEANING CHURCH 2010 SAUVIGNON BLANC $26.00
Fresh, zesty, citrus and ripe guava aromas with slightly peppery herbal flavours on a tight, tangy, beautifully weighted and textured palate before finishing long, clean and refreshingly crisp. Lovely, very complete drinking. 12.3 pc
www.leaningchurch.com.au

FROGMORE CREEK 2009 SAUVIGNON BLANC $26.00
A pale, pastel gold colour and a delicious nutty, geranium floral nose, the palate showing intense, concentrated herbal and passionfruit notes on top of developing hints of toast and honey all beautifully balanced with lively acid running to a long, zippy finish. Lovely drinking. 12.1 pc
www.frogmorecreek.com.au

NATIVE POINT 2010 SAUVIGNON BLANC $25.00
Light, bright, tropical fruit nose, clean and zesty in the mouth with ginger and ripe guava flavours on show, the finish fresh, crisp and fruity. 12.5 pc
Phone: 03 6328 1628

Riesling

MORNINGSIDE 2011 RIESLING $24.00
Juicy citrus aromas with beautifully intense lime/citrus and hints of tropical fruit flavours on a light, tight and perfectly balanced palate before a long, fresh and mouth-watering crisp, slightly off-dry finish. 11.5 pc
www.morningsidevineyard.com.au

HEEMSKERK 2011 RIESLING $45.00
A wonderfully fresh and juicy, intensely flavoured and finely structured drop with lime and tropical fruit backed by racy, minerally acid, the finish crisp, dry and long-lingering.

HOLM OAK 2011 RIESLING FGR $22.00
With lime, apple and bath talc aromas and flavours, this is a richer, subtly complex and finely tuned FGR style with a lovely smooth texture and a wonderful line of citrusy acid balancing and providing a refreshing finishing cut to the 40 grams/litre of natural residual sugar. 7.4 pc
www.holmoakvineyards.com.au

KATE HILL 2011 RIESLING $26.00
Another gold-medal-winner from the very talented Kate Hill with deliciously fragrant crushed lime leaf nose followed by a light, beautifully balanced and taut, mouth-watering palate and a lingering, fragrant yet crisply dry finish. 11.5 pc
www.katehillwines.com.au

KATE HILL 2010 RIESLING $24.00
A multi-gold medal-winner with fragrant aromas of dried flowers followed by a tight, precisely balanced palate showing delicate citrus and flinty, minerally characters finishing long, refreshingly crisp and with just the slightest hint of sweetness. 12.0 pc
www.katehillwines.com.au

BREAM CREEK 2008 RIESLING $22.00
Fragrant lime aromas with hints of honey, the soft, full-flavoured palate too showing some developing honey characters under the citrus and green apple fruit, nicely balanced with a clean, crisply dry finish. Even better given another year or two. 11.9 pc
www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au

WATERTON 2008 LATE PICKED RIESLING $28.00
Succulent lime essence nose with a light delicate palate showing subtle stewed apples and sweet/sour lime marmalade flavours, fresh, juicy and nicely balanced but lacking a little carry with the flavours fading slightly towards the end. 10.6 pc
www.watertonhall.com.au

CRAIGOW 2008 RIESLING $35.00
Simply a fabulous, dry rriesling, beginning to show some wonderful aged depth and complexity and well deserving of its triple trophies and price. Now, I’m told, only available at cellar door. 11.8 pc
www.craigow.com.au

POOLEY 2009 RIESLING $26.00
Lime, herbal, slatey mineral and honey characters on both the nose and palate, beautifully tight, pure and juicy with the mouth-puckering acid just beginning to soften and the palate opening to provide a long, crisply dry finish and a delicious aftertaste. 12.0 pc
www.pooleywines.com.au

COAL VALLEY VINEYARD 2008 RIESLING $26.00
A little age here provides a wonderful fragrant and flavour overlay of honeyed richness and complexity to the citrusy fruit flavours, the palate and finish still beautifully tight, firm, crisply dry and lingering. 12.5 pc
www.coalvalley.com.au

FROGMORE CREEK 2009 EVERMORE RIESLING $38.00
A love-it or hate-it style where Tassie riesling’s normal light and crystalline-pure citrusy, lime-cordial-like fruit and fresh natural acidity are here complexed by oaky, oatmealy and yeasty characters and a touch of aged honeyness. It’s certainly left-field and comes as a surprise, but I loved it. 13.1 pc
www.frogmorecreek.com.au

GLAETZER-DIXON FAMILY 2010 UBERBLANC RIESLING $24.00
Juicy, vibrant, spicy green apple, ginger and citrusy lime flavours with lovely clean acid providing a sherbet-like lift and freshness, the palate lean, precise and nicely concentrated finishing long, crunchy and refreshingly dry. 11.3 pc
www.gdfwinemakers.com

SHARMANS 2010 RIESLING $22.00
Classic lime and citrus aromas and flavours, the palate a little fleshier and fuller than some previous years with beautifully crisp acidity running to a wonderfully long, refreshingly juicy finish. 12.3 pc
www.sharmanswines.com

BREAM CREEK 2008 RIESLING VGR $24.00
Beautifully aromatic, deeply flavoured and lushly textured with the medium fruit sweetness now enriched by attractive aged honey and caramel characters, the palate and finish still wonderfully fresh and tangy. Delicious wine. 11.8 pc
www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au

Pinot Gris/Grigio

DEVIL’S CORNER 2010 PINOT GRIGIO $19.00
Pale straw colour with attractive cut pear, spices and traces of honey on the nose, the light-weight palate showing more cut pear and green apple flavours lifted by fresh acidity and a popular touch of sweetness towards the finish. A very pleasant slip-down drop. 13.0 pc
www.tamarridge.com.au

DELAMERE NAISSANTE 2011 PINOT GRIS $25.00
Bright, light golden colour, lovely aromas and flavours of fresh-cut pears and apples with a hints of nuttiness and dried figs adding subtle extra dimensions, the palate mid-weight, mouth-filling and nicely textured before a soft, pear-fragrant finish refreshed and cleansed by juicy acidity. A delicious, popular style. 13.0 pc
www.delamerevineyards.com.au

STEFANO LUBIANA 2011 PINOT GRIGIO $28.00
A pale green/gold colour with savoury spice and floral aromas of dried flowers, the palate more complex than might be expected of a grigio style with honey, figs, marzipan and some deeper leesy characters, firmer, crisper and more savoury on the finish than the Delamere with lovely balance and length. 13.0pc
www.slw.com.au

HOLM OAK 2010 PINOT GRIS $25.00
Pale straw colour, mild, pot-purri aromas and green apple and pear flavours on a mid-weight, creamily textured palate that has good depth, length and a firm, refreshingly clean finish. 13.0 pc
www.holmoakvineyards.com.au

DERWENT ESTATE 2010 PINOT GRIS $26.00
An attractive coppery blush with freshly cut hay and spicy ripe peach notes on the nose and in the mouth, the palate fresh, light, intense and silkily textured with a nice tangy, food-friendly lift running through to the finish. 13.4 pc
www.derwentestate.com.au

STEFANO LUBIANA 2010 PINOT GRIGIO $28.00
A pale golden tinge and slightly closed nose before musk and pear flavours show on a beautifully balanced and wonderfully subtle palate that is richer, less primary fruit-driven and more textured than previous Lubiana releases. 13.5 pc
www.slw.com.au

STEFANO LUBIANA 2009 PINOT GRIGIO $29.00
Good varietal aromas of freshly sliced Nashi pear, the palate deliciously lean and focused, faintly spicy and musky with a lovely crisp, savoury-dry finish and aftertaste. 12.5 pc
www.slw.com.au

Chardonnay

FROGMORE CREEK 2008 CHARDONNAY $30.00
Subtle nutty, oatmealy and caramel/toffee nose and flavours on a lean and tight, beautifully balanced palate that is just beginning to fill out to show delicious butterscotch flavours and a long, silkily textured finish. A wine of exceptional finesse and few more years in the cellar should be well rewarded. 13.7 pc
www.frogmorecreek.com.au

OBSERVATORY HILL 2011 CHARDONNAY $28.00
Melon and citrus flavours, nicely weighted and textured with subtle oak and a fresh, flavoursome finish
www.observatoryhill.com.au

HOLM OAK 2011 CHARDONNAY $30.00
A tight and restrained style with stonefruit and spicy oak around a very fine minerally core and finish.
www.holmoakvineyards.com.au

HUMBUG REACH 2010 CHARDONNAY $32.00
As rich and complex as the colourful painting on the label with lovely fruit and developed oatmealy characters
www.humbugreach.com.au

STEFANO LUBIANO 2010 CHARDONNAY $50.00
A delicious, complex beauty with nutty, creamy-toffee aromas and flavours around refined pear and citrus fruits, beautifully structured and weighted
www.slw.com.au

MOORILLA 2010 CHARDONNAY $45.00
Pale straw colour, the nose a little shy at this stage with much more interest and complexity in the mouth – full, rich, dry and savoury with some spice and deeper yeasty brioche characters and good acid refreshing the finish. Excellent with things like babaganoush and richer seafood
www.moorilla.com.au

MORNINGSIDE 2010 CHARDONNAY $25.00
Lustrous gold colour and attractive stonefruit, honey and crème brulee aromas and flavours, the palate nicely balanced but softer, more obviously oaky and with less tangy freshness than in previous vintages, the wine overall more subtle, broader and forward. 13.0 pc
www.morningsidevineyard.com.au

STONEY RISE 2011 CHARDONNAY $29.00
A rather shy nose at this stage with just a touch of citrusy tingle, the palate too a little less expressive than usual with savoury, oxidative yeasty flavours backed by grapefruity acid, the finish lacking a little in the vineyard’s usual brightness and freshness, reflecting the challenging 2011 northern vintage. 13.0 pc
www.stoneyrise.com

FREYCINET 2009 CHARDONNAY $30.00
A fuller, more forward and, at this stage, more generously flavoured style than the Frogmore with complex nougat and malty richness underpinning tangy grapefruit and ripe melon flavours, the palate smooth, vibrant and long, gain with the promise of even better years ahead. 13.5 pc
www.freycinetvineyard.com.au

BREAM CREEK 2008 CHARDONNAY $25.00
Attractive green/gold colour with fragrant aromas of citrus and ripe peach followed by a beautifully weighted and balanced palate showing grapefruit and delicious lemon curd flavours with the citrusy notes providing a long, crisply refreshing finish. Lovely drinking and exceptional value. 13.7 pc
www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au

DALRYMPLE ESTATE CHARDONNAY $35.00
From specially selected vineyard blocks, this is a creamily textured, full-flavoured drop with ripe fig, stone fruit and toasty hazelnut notes, the richness beautifully balanced by lovely tangy acidity making for a wine of real character and finesse. 12.5 pc
www.dalrymple.com.au

Other Whites

BREAM CREEK 2009 SCHONBURGER $23.00
Sweet lychee and crushed lantana-leaf nose, the palate more tropical fruity with persistent musk stick, ripe custard apple and lychee flavours nicely balanced and cut by fresh, cleansing acid. 12.9 pc
www.breamcreekvineyard.com.au

Dessert Whites

CRAIGOW 2008 DESSERT RIESLING $19.00
Gold/green straw colour and a wonderfully aromatic nose suggesting mandarins, limes and honey, the palate rich and luscious in true dessert style with those lovely citrusy/honey flavours carrying through to the shortish finish. 9.2 pc
www.craigow.com.au

FROGMORE CREEK 2010 ICED GEWURZTRAMINER $26.00
A gold/straw colour, the nose and palate a delicious combination of gerwurz’s varietal spice, lychee and rose water characters filled out by the muscat-like sweetness of dried fruits and fresh lemon zest with lovely, youthful freshness, intensity, length and balance. 10.0 pc
www.frogmorecreek.com.au

Pinot Noir

STONEY RISE 2011 PINOT NOIR $29.00
A light, brightly coloured and easy-drinking style with fairly simple, straightforward raspberry and ripe cherry aromas and flavours on a juicily fresh, light to mid-weight palate with a very fine texture, lovely balance and a long, lingering finish. 13.5 percent alcohol.
www.stoneyrise.com

RICHARD MEYMAN COLEBROOK RD 2011 PINOT NOIR $25.00
Bright dark cherry colour, earthy, charry aromas before a soft, mid-weight and agreeably juicy, cherry-flavoured palate with some more savoury characters rounding out the finish. Good value and will be better given another 12 month or so in the cellar. 13.5 percent alcohol.

COAL VALLEY VINEYARD 2010 PINOT NOIR $32.00
A smooth, fleshy drop that has good weight and appealing Kentish plum aromas and flavours underpinned by subtle tannins with touches of earthy, forest complexity beginning to develop and show up on the finish and long aftertaste. 13.3 pc
www.coalvalley.com.au

APSLEY GORGE 2008 PINOT NOIR $65.00
A sumptuous full-bodied and velvety textured wine, perfumed, deep and richly flavoured with glace cherry, dark plum fruit and charry notes on top of firm, silky tannins running to a warm, lingering and mouth-filling aftertaste. 14.0 pc 6375 1221

FREYCINET 2010 PINOT NOIR $70.00
A lighter, more ruby colour than the Apsley and, despite the higher alcohol, a finer, more vibrantly alive and wonderfully elegant style with wild strawberry and ripe cherry flavours and, at this stage, slightly sappy notes and firm tannins providing backbone and complexity. An example of a wine of almost ethereal vibrancy, purity and power delivered without brute force and one that will build considerable layers of depth and complexity given time. 14.5 pc
www.freycinetvineyard.com.au

WINDRUSH 2009 PINOT NOIR $25.00
Deeply coloured, full, rich and flavoursome with sweetish dark plum flavours and a smooth, almost lush, fleshy palate of good weight and depth, the finish pleasingly dry and long-lasting. Good value. 13.3 pc
www.windrush.wines.bigpond.com

SHARMANS 2011 PINOT NOIR $30.00
Attractive floral and spiced cherry aromatics and a more complex, more savoury palate than the previous wine, still pleasantly light and fresh but with underlying spice and earthy notes providing added depth and interest. 13.5 pc
www.sharmanwines.com

TAMAR RIDGE KAYENA VINEYARD 2010 PINOT NOIR $30.00
Smokey, dark plum aromas before a smooth, fleshy and richly textured palate offering cherry liqueur, subtle oak and deeper foresty flavours freshened and balanced by a backbone core of succulent acidic astringency with firm, drying tannins on the finish An excellent food wine with great cellaring potential. 14.0 pc.
www.tasmanianestates.com.au

STEFANO LUBIANA 2011 PRIMAVERA PINOT NOIR $33.00
Very inviting dark cherry aromas and a light to mid-weight palate of delicious fruit purity, balance, harmony and juicy drinkability with glaceed cherry flavours and hints of spice running to a slip-down finish that’s soft, long and pleasingly more-ish. 13.5 pc
www.slw.com.au

DERWENT ESTATE 2009 PINOT NOIR $35.00
Dark red/purple with complex meaty, fragrant lavender and chocolate aromas and flavours, the palate deep, plush and finely textured with the sweet fruit underpinned by savoury char and spicy herbal notes, the richness persisting through to a long, gentle finish. 13.6 pc
www.derwentestate.com.au

DALRYMPLE 2010 PINOT NOIR $36.00
Paler and lighter-bodied than the Derwent Estate with floral, char and sappy notes on the nose followed by a fruity, strawberry and cherry flavoured and silkily textured palate seasoned with a light touch of oak and finishing pleasantly dry. 13.0 pc
www.dalrymplevineyards.com.au

DELAMERE 2010 NAISSANTE PINOT NOIR $25.00
A fresh, mid-weight, aromatic and fruity wine made in an easy-drinking style with delicate floral aromas and a surge of juicy, raspberry and glace cherry flavours in the mouth, the refreshing finish underpinned by an attractive herbal savouriness. 13.0 pc
www.delamerevineyards.com.au

CLEMENS HILL 2010 PINOT NOIR $34.00
Spiced cherry liqueur aromatics followed by a silky, generous and deeply flavoured palate just beginning to show hints of the foresty, gamey complexities to come, finishing soft and long with, at this stage, just a whisper of confectionary-like fruitiness on the aftertaste. 13.5 pc
www.Clemens.hill.bigpond.com

DELAMERE 2010 PINOT NOIR $42.00
A savoury and firmly structured style with an intense nose and complex palate of spices, dark plum, cherries and creamy oak overlaying spicy, sappy notes and a pleasing firm, tannic savouriness, all promising a very rewarding future. 13.5 pc
www.delamerevineyards.com.au

DELAMERE 2009 PINOT NOIR $40.00
Lightish purple/red with ripe plums and savoury smoke, spice and meat stock aromas and flavours, the palate mid-weight, tight and elegantly structured and only just beginning to open up to show the depth and promise of delicious things to come. Give it plenty of air now or another 18 months or so and you’ll have a beauty. 13.5 pc
www.delamerevineyards.com.au

HOLYMAN 2009 PINOT NOIR $45.00
Darker, fuller and fruitier than the Delamere with floral, ripe cherry and plum eau-de-vie aromas, the palate intense, softly rich and deeply layered with touches of spicy oak and a firm, dry tannic finish promising a rewarding future. 13.0 pc
www.stoneyrise.com

RESOLUTION VINEYARD 2008 PINOT NOIR $20.00 (CD)
Aromatic cherry nose and an invitingly clean and fresh, cherry-essence palate, balanced, supple and silky smooth with fine, ripe tannins providing a savoury note to the finish. 13.9 pc
www.theresolutionvineyard.com

HOLM OAK 2009 PINOT NOIR $32.00
A powerful complex and yet elegantly structured wine with appealing char and wild earthy elements backing the cherry and black-plum-like fruit, the palate intense, fleshy, nicely balanced and beautifully silky with superfine tannins rounding out the finish. 13.5 pc
www.holmoakvineyards.com.au

GREY SANDS 2008 PINOT NOIR $40.00 (CD)
An appealing earthy nose, the big, richly textured palate too showing more savoury depth and funky complexity rather than straight, simple fruit, with flavours intriguingly suggestive of slightly mephitic game, mushroom and undergrowth before plum and dark berry fruits make their appearance towards the finish. An out-of-left-field style that many true pinotphiles will love. 14.6 pc
www.greysands.com.au

WINSTEAD ESTATE 2007 PINOT NOIR $30.00 (CD)
A deep, black cherry colour with complex aromas and flavours of dark plum, spice, wood smoke and hints of earthy undergrowth, the smoothly textured, mid-weight palate a wonderful meshing of power, elegance, depth and intensity with the flavours building in the glass to a dry, savoury, firmly tannic finish and a long, lingering aftertaste. 13.5 pc
www.winstead.com.au

BREAM CREEK 2009 PINOT NOIR $34.00
A lovely, perfumed and pure-fruit flavoured pinot, soft and silkily textured with glace cherries and floral notes on top of more savoury characters, the finish long, soft and beautifully balanced. A young wine that’s already very much together, one that no doubt will age and develop but is now drinking at its freshest best. 13.6 pc
www.breadmcreekvineyard.com.au

ELMSLIE 2007 PINOT NOIR $42.00
Spicy black plum nose mixed with smokey, foresty complexities and a deep, underlying French-like earthiness with similar flavours on a silkily textured, harmonious and fully mature palate, the finish intense, beautifully balanced, succulent and lingers for ages. 13.2 pc
elmslie@bigpond.net.au

FROGMORE CREEK EVERMORE 2007 PINOT NOIR $65.00
The palish colour doesn’t prepare you for the quite wonderful depth, multilayered flavours, refined power and elegance of this wine which, despite its age, is only now beginning to hit it’s straps and still has many years ahead of it. A cracker. 13.5 pc
www.frogmorecreek.com.au

THREE WISHES 2008 PINOT NOIR $35.00
Deep cherry plum colour and nose, the palate more savoury and complex with sweet plum fruit backed by toasty, eau-de-vie-like characters, full and smoothly textured before a finish that pleasingly long and full. 13.5 pc
www.threewishesvineyard.com.au

Cabernet and Blends

SHARMANS 2008 CABERNET MERLOT $25.00
A deep, still youthful black/purple colour with spiced plum and varietal blackcurrant aromas and flavours, the mid-weight palate smooth, balanced and firmly structured with good, savoury tannins drying up the finish. 13.8 pc
www.sharmanswines.com

Other Reds

GREY SANDS 2006 MERLOT $35.00 (CD)
Not as plump or fruit-driven plummy as many merlots, instead it’s elegant, mid-weight and finely structured showing its cool climate credentials in the purity and depth of its herbal/minty, black olive-like fruit, the drive and freshness of its balancing acid and the wine’s delicious life, vitality and food-friendliness. This is what a food wine is all about and, while great drinking now, it still has plenty of time ahead of it. 13.7 pc
www.greysands.com.au

GREY SANDS 2009 ROMANESQUE $35.00
An unusual blend of shiraz, petit verdot and the Portuguese variety touriga francesa resulting in a balanced, full-bodied palate where the ripe fruit is underlined by a wonderful spicy and savoury earthiness, less herbaceous and minty than some previous releases, and the more food-friendly for it. 13.7 pc
www.greysands.com.au