Thorn Clarke Morello Nebbiolo 2005

An aroma of chalky plums.  A palate of high tannins, high acid, and varietal typicity.  Good.  85 points.

Chateau de Sales 2003

With time, I find that I am appreciating more and more the wines of Pomerol and its satellites. Consumed from a half bottle, this wine had an aroma of leather, plums and earth.  A pleasant plummy palate, with good length.  Very pleasant.  88 points.

Frescobaldi Remole IGT Toscana 2007

An aroma of cherries.  A rather raw palate of cherries, with notable tannins and acid.  Good food wine.  83 points.

Lindemans Steven Vineyard Bin 9825 Shiraz 1999

An aroma of leather, menthol, blackberry fruit and anise.  A palate of plums and soft lingering length.  In its prime.  86 points.

Sallys Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

A label unknown (at least to me), so I did not know what to expect.  I was rather pleasantly surprised.  Deeply coloured, with an aroma of cassis.  A palate with at least 10 seconds of length.  Rather good.  87 points.

La Chappelle de Calon 2005

This wine is the second wine of Chateau Calon-Segur of troisième cru classé fame of the 1855 Bordeaux classification.  An aroma of black fruits, quite fruity, with notes of oak and herbs.  A palate with pleasant length, and a touch of alcohol.  Good.  85 points.

Penfolds Five Star Club Port 1956

An aroma of delicate raisins.  A similar palate with nice length.  Very good.  86+ points.

Seppeltsfield Grand Muscat

An extremely strong aroma of dried raisins.  A palate also dominated by raisins, with some length.  Good but not outstandingly so.  80 points.

Penfolds Grange 1970

Oh the disappointment of a poorly stored bottle.  Tasted blind, I think this is the first time I have really noticed a very identifiable roast coffee aroma.  The aroma was otherwise a bit muted, and a bit dank, with an inadequately small cork that had been unfortunately pushed into the bottle.  The palate had some flashes of sweet cassis notes, but an unevenness and lack of balance that was unpleasant.  This Grange was clearly greatly disappointing and past its best, and probably poorly stored with a bad cork.  70 points.

Purple Sands Pinot Noir 2004

From vineyards unknown comes this wine.  A very muted aroma, with some menthol notes.  A palate with a simple cherry flavour.  79 points.

Orlando St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

An aroma of pepper, brine and some mint notes.  A palate of pepper and plums.  Tasted blind it tasted rather like a cabernet/shiraz blend.  86 points.

Abv: 13%
Price: $30
Website: http://www.jacobscreek.com

Jacobs Creek St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

I recently reviewed the 2005 vintage of this wine.  The 2003 version is rather more impressive.  An aroma of red fruits, oak and black fruits.  A palate with good length (15 seconds plus) and rich in style.  90 points.

Abv: 14.5%
Price: around $50
Website: http://www.jacobscreek.com

Andraos Bros Olde Winilba Chardonnay 1999

This wine was unfortunately rather oxidised.  Deeply coloutred.  An aroma with a vegemite, herbs, yeast and oxidised note.  A palate with nice length.  The oxidation marred what could otherwise have been a pleasant wine.  Not rated.

Outlook Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2005

I must admit I quite like this wine; it, to me at least, appears identifiably from the Yarra Valley region when tasted blind.  Perhaps the Yarra Valley should really think about better promoting its chardonnay, as many chardonnays from this region leave me with a similar favourable impression, unlike some of the other many varietals (too many?) grown there.  An aroma of citrus and peaches.  A palate with citrus, a bit of oak and nice length, leaving a very clean impression.  Pleasant.  87 points.

Silverwings 98 Sparkling

I have tried this wine a couple of times now, and while it would not be mistaken for a champagne and is not particularly to my taste, this wine is very dry, from a cool climate and shows some regional provenance, and so is of interest for those seeking variety.  An aroma of herbs and muted apples.  A palate of honeycomb and citrus.  82 points.

Chateau St Georges St Emilion 1998

Another wine reviewed from the St Emilion region outside of Bordeaux.  An aroma of soft black fruits, spices and cigar box.  A palate with medium plus acidity, elegant length, black fruits and a softness.  Very good.  89 points.

Chateau Galius Grand Cru 1994

I haven't seen this wine before in Australia, and I suspect it is not easy to find.  Nonetheless, it is worth looking out for.  A rather multi-faceted aroma of black fruit jam, herbs and an earthiness.  An elegant palate with similar lingering flavours.  Very good.  91 to 92 points.

Chateau Fombrauge Grand Cru 2006

This is a very good wine and is worth seeking out.  Deeply coloured, with an aroma of rich red plums.  A palate with good length and fruit, with medium tannins and a deceptive softness.  Tipping the scales somewhat at 14%av but in balance.  90 points.

Piper Heidsieck Red Label NV

Piper Heidsieck is a good value, reliable Champagne that punches above its weight.  An aroma of toast and bread.  A citrus dominated palate.  84 to 85 points.

Crittenden Estate Cut Cane Cabernet 2006

An aroma of pleasant black fruits.  A pleasant palate with somewhat elevated tannins.  13.5%av.  83 points.

Rogers & Rufus Rosé 2009

Made from grenache, this rosé was pleasant.  An aroma of simple pleasant stone fruits.  A palate with a slight "alcohol" note on the finish.  80 points.

Yarrawood Tall Tales Shiraz 2005

Aroma of quite intense spice and oak, with a wiff of alcohol.  With 14.7%av, this perhaps is not a surprise.  A palate with plums, length and quite high acid.  It seemed a bit out of balance.  Interestingly, however, I re-tasted the same bottle after a couple of days and it was much more balanced, and merited a higher score.  82 to 83 points.

Jacquesson Cuvee 733 Brut NV

This is quite a distinct champagne that almost delivered.  A rather fantastic aroma of yeast, and nuts, with an almost chocolately note.  The palate though was rather different, tasting more apple fruit driven and a bit simple.  83 points.

Poggerino Chianti Classico 2007

Though vintage variation is apparent, Poggerino is a relatively safe bet in the sometimes variable world of Chianti Classico.  An aroma of dusty cherries.  Nice balance and length on the palate, with tannins, but not a dense wine.  85 points.

Dalwhinnie Shiraz 2007

Dalwhinnie from the Pyrenees in Western Victoria make some very good wines, and has been a favourite producer of mine for some time.  This wine however fell a bit short of my expectations.  An aroma of plums and pepper.  A palate with soft plums and good length, but perhaps lacking a bit of concentration of fruit.  84 to 85 points.

Torbreck The Steading Grenache Mourvedre Shiraz 2006

From the heavily praised Torbreck, I found this wine interesting and well made with good fruit, yet it wasn't a wine that I personally overly enjoyed.  A rather pungent aroma of leather, chalky plums and dark cherries.  A palate with pleasant fruit and good length.  85 points.

Yeringberg Chardonnay 2006

There are some wines that I just generally like, and Yeringberg's chardonnay appears to be among them.  An aroma of light oak, exotic fruits and citrus.  A very fresh and clean palate that was drunk very quickly.  88 points.

Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Riserva Rufina 2005

An aroma of cherries.  A palate with balance, good length (10 seconds plus) and a lingering though not intense flavour.  A very good wine.  87 points.

Tamellini Soave 2007

I haven't tried a lot of Italian Soave (made from the garganega grape in North Eastern Italy), but this wine was really quite interesting and pleasant.  An aroma of fresh pears, apples, stone fruit kernels with an oily/nutty element too.  Similar, quite viscous, palate.  85 points.

Jacobs Creek St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

A deeply coloured wine.  An aroma of mainly oak, with a palate of mixed oak and black fruits.  A bit rich in style for a cabernet sauvignon for my palate, but it's pretty good.  86 points.

Abv: 14%
Price: $40
Website: http://www.jacobscreek.com