Glaetzer Heartland Directors' Cut Shiraz 2007

This is a rather intense, full bodied wine guaranteed to please followers of that style of wine.  An intense aroma of plums, spice, oak and vanilla.  A rather plummy, rich and intense palate.  Drink now or keep.  91 points.

Jacobs Creek Centenary Hill Shiraz 2005

I confess that I am never particularly excited by Jacobs Creek's offerings, but this wine was quite good.  An aroma of licorice.  A palate with spice, oak, plums and length, showing restraint and balance.  Quite good.  88 points.

Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz 2008

The 2008 is perhaps not quite as good as some of the previous Bishops.  It's still very good though.  An aroma of soft spices and pepper.  A similar palate with plums, and a slight spritz.  88 points.

Crittenden Estate Pinocchio Sangiovese 2008

An aroma of cherries and chocolate.  A similar palate, with rather tough tannins.  Rather Italian in style.  This was certainly a "correct" wine (in the French sense of that word), but it was a bit hard going for me.  83 points.

Murdock Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

This wine is a fantastic example of what Australian cabernet sauvignon can be, and should be sought out.  An elegant aroma of black fruits.  A similar palate with at least 20 seconds of length, and excellent fruit.  This is performing at a cru classé level.  In its drinking prime.  97 points.

Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

From one of my favourite producers in the Margaret River, this well priced cabernet sauvignon did not disappoint (again).  An aroma of deep black currants and dusty oak.  A palate with tannins, black fruit and elegance.  Another very good effort from this estate.  Drink now or keep.  86 points.

Greenpoint Rosé 2007

Green Point is one of the labels of Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley.  Aroma of muted stone fruits, and a balanced palate with a slight spritz.  Pleasant drinking.  83 points.

Murdock Dos Diablos Grenache Tempranillo 2005

I am not sure if this wine is commercially available anymore, but I recall it was very well priced for the value it gives.  A pleasant rather distinct aroma of chocolate.  A similar palate with a bit of grip, and some length.  Very good.  85 points.

Medhurst Rosé 2007

This wine is a fairly classic dry rosé from the Yarra Valley.  Aroma of stone fruits and nectarines.  Pleasant dry palate with a slight spritz.  82 points.

Punt Road Shiraz 2005

The Yarra Valley in Victoria is not generally known for its shiraz, but this wine shows that it certainly can produce them.  Aroma of rich plums, spice and oak.  With time herbs and pepper revealed themselves.  A palate with plums, pepper and lingering rolling length.  Really quite good.  85 points.

De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2006 v Dan Murphy's Private Bin Botrytis Semillon 2008

It was rather interesting tasting one of Australia's most famous dessert wines against a "clean skin" of the same variety.  Although I do not usually support "clean skin" wines since you do not know what you are getting, and I like to support individual producers who are doing interesting things, this particular clean skin was certainly not embarrassed by its esteemed company.

De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon (Australia)
2006
A rather rich nose, with an intense, and well structured, fragrance of apricots.  A palate with length, apricots, sweet nectarines and sugary caramel.  Very good.  90 points.

Dan Murphy's Private Bin Botrytis Semillon (Australia)
2008
An aroma of light nectarines and apricot kernels.  A similar palate.  Behind, but not far behind, the "Noble One" at one third of the price.  86 points.

Kingston Estate Petit Verdot 1999

This was another quite pleasing petit verdot.  This late ripening variety seems to perform rather well in the warmer regions of Australia, whereas in its home in France, it is but a mere part of the Bordeaux blend.  Deeply coloured, this wine had an aroma of black fruits, herbs, dusty coffee and, in particular, anise.  The palate showed some tannins and length, with notes of black currants and licorice.  Really quite good.  88 points.

Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling 2007

This wine had a rather stunning aroma, but did not deliver on the palate.  A quite evocative aroma of stones and minerals.  A palate though with citrus, a bit of length, but a persistent spritz that I did not grow fond of. Ok, but could have been a lot better. 83 points.

De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2008

This wine was rather innocuous, but pleasant.  Aroma of simple cherries.  A similar palate.  A rather simple, easy drinking wine.  82 points.

Brown Brothers Brut Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier NV

Made from pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier, this somewhat modest Australian sparkling wine performed rather well.  A primary aroma of citrus, with some toast notes.  A similar palate, with pleasant mousse.  The 3 medals on the bottle don't appear to be far off the mark.  A surprise.  85 points.

Pierre Naigeon Clos Pierre Pinot Noir 2005

Lightly coloured, with some yellow around the edges.  Rather fragrant aroma of cherries.  A palate that initially revealed highish acid, cherries and spritz.  It was a bit rough.  However, with about 10 minutes in the glass, it resolved to a fairly pleasant pinot noir and balanced out.  81 points.

Deen De Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz 2006

The following wine is a pleasant "BBQ style" wine.  An aroma of plums, and a palate with plums and pleasant soft spices suitable for everyday drinking.  Drink now.  82 points.

Captains Creek Organic Pinot Noir 2008

From a very small winery near Daylesford, this wine is one of the more unusual that I have tasted.  An intense aroma of menthol, mint and (more surprisingly) fruit juice.  A fruity, somewhat disconcerting palate, with some length.  76 points.

Pierre Naigeon Clos Pierre Pinot Noir 2008

This wine is very well priced at less than $20 and performs at a level equal to many of its more expensive peers in the $30 to $40 price bracket.  An Australian style pinot noir aroma of soft cherries and herbs.  Soft palate with light cherries and lingering soft length.  85 points.

Punt Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Aroma of black fruits and oak.  Palate with easy drinking black fruits and very good length, ready to drink now. 85 points.

Brammar Estate Pinot Noir 2003

This wine comes from a very small producer in the Yarra Valley, and I wanted to like it, but alas I struggled with it.  It had a "two stage" aroma.  Initially, the aroma was of slightly unpleasant wiffy alcohol, with some acetone and crushed rock notes.  It then opened out to sour dark cherries after about 15 minutes.  The palate seemed initially a bit bitter.  It however revealed quite some length although unfortunately of the "hot" kind, and I felt the wine a bit uneven.  With time it settled to a rather neutral black cherry liqueur type flavour with some viscosity on the palate.  High acid with some sharpish edges.  It actually reminded me a bit of a young Nebbiolo or Sangiovese, albeit one without strong tannins.  This might be better with some more time, but it is not great now. 14.5% alcohol.  75 points.

Balgownie Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Balgownie, with a cellar door presence in Bendigo and the Yarra Valley in Victoria, is generally a very good producer.  Their cabernet sauvignon and shiraz wines from Bendigo in particular are normally very reliable and well priced (noting though their apparent recent price increases).  The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bendigo reviewed below did not disappoint.

Aroma of taught oak and black fruits.  A palate with good tannins, blackcurrant and fruit flavour.  A very good wine.  90 points.