Chardonnay day 2011

26 May 2011 was "Chardonnay day" in the "Twitter-verse".  For the uninitiated, the object of the day, at least so far as I could interpret it, was to drink a lot of chardonnay and broadcast your thoughts using the "#chardonnay" hashtag on Twitter.  I admit I was somewhat sceptical about the whole thing, at worst, fearing it would resemble a unstructured cacophony.  Which it did in part, but then fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to attend a free chardonnay tasting well organised by Dan Sims of the Wine Guide in Melbourne.  The tasting turned out to be a (non-blind) look at 150 odd bottles of chardonnay from mostly Australian wineries, many of which were benchmark producers.  I'll repeat the main bits of that, "150 odd bottles", "free" and "benchmark producers".  Life is not so bad :)

My general impressions?  First up, I was a little overwhelmed.  Faced with 150+ wines, it was difficult to know where to start, or what to taste.  It was almost like I was plodding around in Dan Murphy's, and the manager walked up and said to me "now here, you look like a good chap, try whatever you like".  There is no doubt a pyschological term somewhere that describes the slight disappointment in obtaining everything you could ever want.  But not beaten yet, what then of the chardonnay?  Australia's chardonnay styles of course differ from region to region.  This is no surprise given Australia's size and the variability of its soils and climates.   I do tend to prefer the cooler climate versions of chardonnay from the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, Geelong and the Margaret River, but these are not the only styles of chardonnay in this country, nor the only "correct" styles.  I haven't tasted enough chardonnay from the New South Wales high country of Orange and Tumbarumba to know well the styles from here, though I liked a couple I tried.  The generalisations I'm about to make are borne from this context.

Tasting so many wines, it was patently clear that the expressions of chardonnay from the cooler climate Australian regions have evolved into a leaner, crisper, earlier picked, less oaked version of chardonnay, their departure now well complete from the earlier fashion for heavily oaked, oily and ripe (or over-ripe) wines.   What was interesting, to me at least, was that seemingly all of the wines had evolved in the same direction.  I wonder if a wrong lesson has been learnt here somewhere?  To me, the nuances of terroir were perhaps overshadowed by the considerable common characteristics among the wines, or probably more likely the grand scale of the tasting format.

With a setting like this, with so many wines to taste, it  quickly became apparent that accurately scoring the wines was going to be hopeless.  "Sipping and spitting" was absolutely necessary to maintain sobriety.  I don't know how the show judges do this, week-in week-out, and maintain their accuracy.  If I'm to be honest, something I like being, I suspect they don't.  In a sense, the tasting was something of an "extreme sport".  Something that was very interesting and engaging, but also overwhelming.  There was also the slight oddity that comes with typing away on a mobile device and watching an on-screen Twitter feed, instead of talking to the person next to you.

Below are my tasting notes without scores for the wines tasted.

Tapanappa Chardonnay Piccadilly Valley 2010 13.5abv $39
Wheat meal like, restrained aroma.  Some length, pleasant on the palate, but restrained.

Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay Adelaide Hills 2009 13.5abv
Aroma of brassy fruit, some oak as background noise, hay.  Some length, good fruit, more at the apple end of the spectrum.

Printhie Mt Canobolas Chardonnay Orange 2009 13.5abv $35
A dead ringer for a Chablis. Tight mineral nose, stones.  Length, restrained, good palate.  Good wine, and a favourite of the set.

Eden Road Chardonnay Tumbarumba 2008 12.5abv
Floral, hay like aroma.  Some length on the palate, but spritzy.

Fraser Gallop Chardonnay Margaret River 2009 13.5abv $30
Restrained hay aroma.  Good fruit.  Appeared a good wine.

Chardonnay by Farr Geelong 2008 13abv
Floral, restrained apples.  A bit plain on the palate.

Bindi Quartz Chardonnay Macedon Ranges 2009 13.5abv
Good fruit, opulence, ripe.  Good length.  A good wine.  One of my favourites of the set.

Bannockburn GRH Chardonnay Geelong 2007 13abv
Wheat meal, hay aroma.  Some nice sweet fruit.  Not bad.

Gembrook Hill Yarra Valley 2007 13abv
Apples, sweet fruited aroma.  On the palate, apples and length.  A good wine.

Oakridge Chardonnay Yarra Valley 2010 12.8abv
Pleasant, hay, wheat meal.  Good but didn't stand out to be honest.

De Bortoli Estate Grown Chardonnay Yarra Valley 2010 12abv
Restrained, wheat meal, some ripe fruit poking through.  Sweet fruit, very pleasant.  Layered.

Hoddles Creek 1er Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2009 13.2abv
Restained, tight hay like aroma.  Pleasant.

Moorooduc Estate McIntyre Vineyard Chardonnay 2009 13abv
Restrained, pear aroma.  Good fruit, length and linear purity.  Probably my favourite of the set.

Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay Margaret River 2009
Opulent aroma, good fruit.  Good fruit, length and purity.  Seemed a really good wine.

Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River 2008
Pure fruit, apple aroma.  Acidity evident, restrained.  Preferred the Reserve from 2009.

Voyager Chardonnay Margaret River 2008
Ripe fruit, appeared more towards the tropical end of the spectrum.  Density of fruit, ripe.  Not bad.

Domaine Bertagna Premier Cru Vougeot Blanc 1999

This was a lovely little wine.  Expect a fresh smelling aroma of light honey and sweet nectarines.  And good length and some apple like notes on the palate.  Well stored examples will be worth seeking out, because it's only $50 in the secondary market.  A happy example of an affordable white Burgundy with 12 years of age on it.  91 points (7.6/10)

Abv: 13.5%
Price: around $50
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes
Website: http://www.domainebertagna.com

Mount Mary Chardonnay 1996

This is one of the more attractive Mount Mary chardonnays I have tried.  Think honey on toast, and you will be very, very close.  Some herbs too.  Respect.  It's quite remarkable how some white wines make this "journey to honey".  Langtons described 1996's vintage conditions for Yarra Valley chardonnay as follows:

"Intermittent rains followed a mild spring and very cool summer. It was the coldest December in 140 years. A hot, dry February dried up vineyards and began to stress vines. By April, the weather had cooled down. The Chardonnays were of good to very good quality. Only the best will last the distance."

Well, this one did make the distance, and I saw its last auction price was $41.  So, in short, a bargain if you can find well stored examples.  90 points (7.5/10)

Abv: 13%

Price: $50

Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes

Website: http://www.mountmary.com.au

Borgogno Barolo Riserva 1982

It shows what I know.  I tasted this wine blind and thought it was a good pinot noir of quite some years.  In my defence, if I may tentatively mount one in this conversation with myself at this point, nebbiolo is often said to be the pinot noir of Italy and at 29 years old perhaps some varietal definition can be lost.  Nah, just got it wrong.  Anyway, cherries, damp leaves and herbs were there by way of aroma.  On the palate, more of those flavours, with really evident acidity (the give away perhaps) and nice delicate length.  A good drink, if a bit austere for my taste.  88 points (7.3/10)

Abv: 13.5%
Price: around $100
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Probably, it's hard to say no to 29 year old Barolo for $100.

Cleveland Pinot Noir 1996

Some of Cleveland's pinot noir (and chardonnay) from the 1990s remains in compellingly good shape.  Herbs, leather, cherries and fruit were still evident in this 15 year old wine, with acidity and some length on the palate.  I tasted this wine blind, and the herby note gave it away to me as an Australian, but it is very "Burgundian" in style.  87 points (7.2/10)

Abv: 12%
Price: around $50

Domaine Fourrier Chambolle Musigny 1996

I'll be blunt, I didn't really enjoy this wine from an appellation (Chambolle Musigny) that I usually like.  It was just too acidic for me, devoid of the charms of fruit.  Expect an anise like aroma and on the palate, some real mouth watering acid and an "animal" like note.  One for the acid lovers.  83 points (6.8/10)

Price: around $60
Abv: 13%
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No
Website: http://domainefourrier.pagesperso-orange.fr/

Harcourt Valley Sightings Cabernet Shiraz 2008

I am quite partial to that quintessential Australian blend of cabernet and shiraz.  Unfashionable maybe, but if it works, it works.  And this wine from a small producer in the Bendigo region hit the spot.  Estate grown fruit, and wild yeast is used.  Think sweet fruited plums, currants, dusty earth, Christmas cake and spices by way of fragrance.  On the palate, some length, sweet fruit and improvement with time in the glass.  A frankly very enjoyable wine.  87 points (7.2/10)

Abv: 14%
Price: around $20
Source: sample
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes
Website: http://www.harcourtvalley.com.au/

Chaine d'Etoiles Brut Reserve NV

Well, I tried this wine blind and thought it was a Bollinger NV, and I like Bollinger.  So, surprise then, here I am about to say good things about it.  A yeasty, grassy aroma was met with a good bead, good acidity and only 5g/l dosage.  The blend is 50% pinot meunier, 35% chardonnay and 15% pinot noir.  Lovely stuff.  87 points (7.2/10)

Abv: 12%

Price: I am told around $50

Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes

Website: Couldn't find, but here's the importer's http://www.echelonwine.com.au/wines/chaine_detoiles.html

Penfolds St Henri 2003

I wasn't amazed by this vintage of St Henri.  It is a shiraz (perhaps with a dash of cabernet - see the technical note below), with fruit sourced from the Barossa Valley, the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek in 2003, and as usual, sees no new oak.  It had a spicy, herby aroma.  Plums, acidity and pepper were apparent on tasting the wine.  The tasting notes from the winery describe 2003 as a "solid" release from a "challenging vintage".  In "wine marketing speak", to be a little unkind, that's pretty much saying the wine is crap.  But it's far, far from being that bad, and presents reasonably enjoyably.  7.2/10 (87 points).

Abv: 14.5%

Price: $68 (current vintage)

Would I buy it having tasted it?  No

Website: http://www.penfolds.com.au

Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2008

The fruit for Penfolds' RWT, a 100% shiraz, is sourced entirely from the Barossa Valley, and therefore eschews Penfolds' usual multi-regional approach.  The wine is also aged in French oak, rather than the American stuff.  And yes, it's very good, though I would have preferred to have been drinking this in 20 years time, rather than now.  Which is currently not possible.  Ripe plums, raw oak and spices waft from the glass.  Then there's sweet fruit with good length on the palate.  Give this 5 to 10 years in the cellar to allow it to reveal its best.  Here are the winery's notes. 89 points (7.4/10)

Abv: 14.5%
Price: $130
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Probably, yes.
Website: http://www.penfolds.com.au

Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Moda 2001

This wine tasted a lot like an Amarone, not because of the grapes in the blend, here 85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% merlot (Amarone is typically a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara (with Corvina dominant)) but because both involve a partial drying of grapes after picking.  In the case of Joseph's wine, this led to aromas of olives, pepper and, more pepper.  On the palate, pepper and raisins were there.  Length too.  Frankly, this style of wine is pretty good, if rich, and Joseph pulls it off.  Here's the winery's notes on the vintage.  89 points (7.4/10)

Abv: 14.5%

Price: $65 (current release)

Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes

Website: http://www.primoestate.com.au

Mitchelton Imprint Shiraz 2009

I tried this wine in a café, with a pretty crappy wine list, yet really, really good food.  Grr.  It's fair to say this was a pretty simple wine.  Aromas of pepper and plums were met with a simple spicy palate with a touch of length.  Suitable for uncritical drinking.  81 points (6.6/10)

Abv: not recorded

Price: couldn't find

Would I buy it having tasted it?  It was ok I guess in its place

Website: http://www.mitchelton.com.au

Pierre Naigeon Beaujolais 2009

Pierre Naigeon's 2009 Beaujolais is an easy drinking quaffer with simple fruit, that is a touch sweet perhaps. My advice?   Walk over a couple of aisles and pay $10, maybe even $15 more, and try with lunch a local gamay from Eldridge Estate, Sorrenberg or Bass Phillip (though if you can find the latter, please tell me!).  80 points (6.5/10)

Abv: 12.5%
Price: about $10
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Probably yes at the price and as an unthinking quaffer served cool.
Website: http://www.domainepierrenaigeon.com/

Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

I tasted this wine blind, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  I also happened to find myself (voluntarily) watching the Royal wedding while drinking it, which surprised me more than a little too.  But back to the wine.  It had a reasonably complex aroma of pepper, plums, mint, leaves and oak.  On the palate, there was evident acidity, oak, plums and noticeable tannins too.  I thought the wine pretty sensible, but never really bonded with it.  86 points (7.1/10)

Abv: 14%
Price: around $35
Would I buy it having tasted it?  I'm honestly not sure.
Website: http://www.parkercoonawarraestate.com.au

Brands Barrel Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Coonawarra each year, as I understand it anyway, holds a "barrel series auction" where some of the best barrels of Coonawarra are auctioned off.  This wine was almost like nothing I'd tried before from Coonawarra.  It had an intense (bold ... capitals ... italics ... I think you get it) aroma of oak, vanilla, herbs and licorice.  Too much oak  The palate was extremely rich, with overt oak, vanilla and licorice flavours.  Again, too much oak.  This is a wine that will probably survive half a century, and I can fairly clearly see why you might call it out as one of the best barrels of a vintage.  But gee it didn't much resemble a cabernet (more like an extravagantly oaked Barossa shiraz) and is really a meal in itself.  90 points (7.5/10)

Abv: 14%
Price: unknown
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No, this was too rich for me now, though I'd sure like to try it in 20 years time.
Website: http://www.mcwilliams.com.au/brands-laira/

Harcourt Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This wine was a disappointment.  I guess the word "disappointment" suggests that I had expectations, whereas in fact I had none - not knowing the producer or the wine, so perhaps it is more just to re-read the first sentence with the words "not good" substituted for "a disappointment".  Anyway, the wine had a not unattractive plummy aroma, but its palate was just too bitter for my taste.  Over-extraction?  Bad vintage?  Bad bottle?  Bad batch?  I don't know.  79 points (6.4/10).

Price: around $20
Abv: 13.5%
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No
Website: http://www.harcourtvalley.com.au/

Denis Philibert Les Brouillards Premier Cru 1996

I wasn't sure whether I liked this wine.  First, I did.  Then, I didn't.  Then, kinda I could see what I was thinking in the first place, and then there was that doubt again.  Pepper, plums, cherries and herbs on the nose were pleasant enough, and the palate had some pretty length, some tannins (still at 15 years old?) and a core of racy acidity.  It was the palate that left me unconvinced.  Was it just a bit too hard going?  On balance, ok, but it's not really worth seeking out.  7/10 (85 points).

Abv: 13%

Price: around $50

Would I buy it having tasted it?  No

Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1 2009 and other complaints

I was disappointed by Yarra Yering's 2009 "Dry Red No. 1" cabernet (and their cellar door - see below).  Good blackcurrant aromas drifted out of the glass.  But the palate seemed short, with evident acidity and, to my palate, a touch of a smoked meat character.  This latter character made me wonder whether the vintage may have been affected, albeit minutely at this stage, by the tragic 2009 Yarra Valley bushfires.  Yeringberg up the road of course have declassified their 2009 cabernet and are selling it for $15, with the de Purys recommending early consumption in case the smoke taint worsens.  There is a touch of smoke taint on the palate in the 09 Yeringberg, but frankly it is pretty mild at this point.

In Yarra Yering's case, at $82 a bottle for their 09, and down the road, it seemed worth a discussion.  Such discussion unfortunately though was not going to come from our cellar door host.  In between pouring thimble sized servings during the paid tasting into lovely Riedel glasses (tough times chez Yarra Yering?) and curtly telling my unsuspecting friend that "no, you've already tasted the Agincourt" (he hadn't - and, um, what Sir, if he had?), his comment to me regarding a smoky character was "No, you are the first person to say that.  You must be wrong".  And maybe I am wrong - that certainly does happen!  It could have been another character from that tragic, hot, scorching and bushfire ridden season.  But it was an honest question.  And surely it's not a surprising one given the sheer scale of the bushfires in 2009?  Whatever the cause, the wine simply wasn't otherwise what I expected and as regular readers would know, to date, I've been a strong supporter of Yarra Yering's cabernets, describing them as among, if not, the best in the Yarra Valley.  One to try again in a few years time.  I hope I am wrong.  84 points for now (6.9/10)

Abv: not recorded
Price: $82
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No
Website: http://www.yarrayering.com

Seppelt Aerin's Vineyard Shiraz 2008

Here I was thinking that I was purchasing a wine from an obscure local winery in the Heathcote region that had escaped my attention.  Closer reading of the back label revealed that this in fact is a Seppelt wine.  It had an aroma of plums, a sweet fruited note a bit like a young "jubey" Cotes du Rhone, cola and, more surprisingly, were there minerals as well, on a shiraz?  On the palate, there were moderately heart warming, if baked a little, plum flavours.  Overall, pleasant if a bit "only ok" drinking, if that makes sense.  I see Mr Graham over at the Australian Wine Review also reviewed the same wine.  For the record, I disliked the label :)  84 points (6.9/10)

Abv: 14%

Price: $18

Would I buy it having tasted it?  No

Website: http://www.seppelt.com.au/

Michael Unwin Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

I tried this wine at a café in Ballarat.  With fish too.  I usually like food and wine matching, but on this day I thought stuff it.  I almost fell off the chair with this wine.  The chair was in a sound state, though I didn't inspect it.  An aroma of blackcurrant and mint (no surprises here for this cool region) wafted from the glass.  The palate though stood out with its very good length, acid backbone and blackcurranty, Bordeaux like, flavour.  Was there a trace of bitterness?  Perhaps, ever so slightly.  But not so much that I wouldn't go back for more.  88 points (7.3/10)

Abv: not noted down

Price: about $25 (current vintage)

Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes

Website: http://www.michaelunwinwines.com.au 

De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 1992

De Bortoli were pioneer producers of botyritis semillon from the Riverina region, and the sheer quality (and affordability (and ageability for that matter)) of the "Noble One" wines continues to shine.  How did the '92 stack up (now 19 years old)?  Well, first of all, its colour was amazing: almost a deep brown muscat like colour, yet not near oxidised on the palate.  Aromas of caramel and, excitingly (for lovers of aged Sauternes), marmalade eeked from the glass.  Flavours of sweet nectarines were supported by amazing length and acidity.  What impressed me most though was simply the freshness of this wine. It left the palate refreshed, rather than weighed down by any of the cloying stickiness that sometimes occurs with some botrytis semillons.  More please.  98 points (8.2/10)

Abv: 12%
Price: around $25 (current vintage)
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes

Penfolds St Henri 2007

The dull roar heard in the distance was of 4,000 people (I didn't count - there were probably 20) tasting Penfolds' new release of "icon and luxury range" wines for 2011 at the local wine store.  I am going to type the words "icon and luxury range wines" again.  There, good, we are all clear now.  Perhaps they felt sorry for me, because I managed to secure myself a decent glass of Penfolds' new release St Henri from the 2007 vintage.  The wine is a 100% shiraz, with fruit sourced from Robe, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Padthaway, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and the Adelaide Hills - all over South Australia really.  It was pretty good, but not really good.  It had a fairly attractive aroma of spices, plums, something else and pepper.  The palate was more challenging - notes of spice, some length, sweet fruit at times, spiky and uneven acidity at times, liqueur cherries, alcohol and something else.  What was that something else?  Was it sarsaparilla or something similarly odd?  I couldn't put my finger on it.  I'm not yet convinced.  Here are the winery's notes.  85 points (7/10)

Abv: 14.5%
Price: about $65
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No
Website: http://www.penfolds.com.au

Chateau Glanet 2008

The combination of the appellation that is Bordeaux Supérieur and the price bracket that is "sub $30" (in Australia) usually reliably turns up some of my least satisfactory wines.  This wine was better than that, but it was still, if am to be a bit brutal, more cheap Bordeaux than something approaching a (good) cru bourgeois.  I could tell from the moment I smelt it: a sweet, almost candied fragrance of red fruits.  The palate was better with some length and structure.  Here, you probably get what you pay for, but certainly no more.  84 points (6.9/10)

Abv: 13%
Price: around $30
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No

Pikes Traditionale Riesling 2010

Maybe it was the day.  Maybe it was the food (seafood).  Whatever, I really liked this wine.  It had an aroma of lemons.  I'll say citrus too, but most likely it was just other citrus that smelt like lemons.  On the palate, there was crisp acidity, a nice texture and a lemon and citrus flavour.  A bargain, great drinking.  Riesling would have to be Australia's great low priced high quality secret.  Don't tell anyone.  87 points (7.2/10)

Abv: 12.5%
Price: around $17
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes
Website: http://www.pikeswines.com.au

Chateau Moulinet 1975

I thought I was pretty clever buying this wine at auction for about $30.  I wasn't.  It was corked.  How corked you say?  More scary I say than even the "the silence" in last week's Dr Who episode.  I almost, and by almost I mean that I did not at all, got out the statutory consumer rights section of the trade practices legislation to attempt to work out our consumer rights against auction houses.

Price: around $30
Abv: Not stated!
Bottle size: 73cl!
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Who knows, it was corked.

Craggy Range Sophia Gimblett Gravels 2007

The first thing I noticed about Craggy Range's Sophia, in 2007, a blend of 81% merlot, 10% cabernet franc, 7% cabernet sauvignon and 2% malbec was its "epic" bottle weight.  Crazy.  I bought this wine because I was so impressed with Craggy Range's lower priced Te Kahu Merlot from 2009 that I reasoned that their "top of the line" stuff must be even better.  Opening the bottle, it was immediately apparent that this wine had been built to last.  A reticent, brooding aroma of spices, soft plums and oak emerged.  Tasting it, there was some fairly good length, that subtle "softness" that tells the drinker "drink me, for I am good", acidity, powdery tannins, young oak and perhaps a touch of alcohol heat.  But it was somewhat lacking in "x factor" - while at every point, I thought this undoubtedly a good wine, at no point did I think "wow, this wine really brings something to the table".  And for $75, I needed to think that.  Here are the technical notes from the winery.  7.5/10 (90 points)

Abv: 14.5%
Price: around $75
Would I buy it having tasted it?  I'm afraid not, I'll stick with the Te Kahu 2009.
Website: http://www.craggyrange.com

DiGiorgio Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

I thought this wine was darn good.  It had a somewhat typical Coonawarra cabernet aroma of anise, chocolate and spices.  On the palate, the fruit was plummy, and almost rather opulent, with excellent length.  I drank this wine with pizza (albeit a very good one), and kept trying to think of reasons why I was overrating it (the wine, not the pizza).  In the end, I really couldn't find any.  Excellent drinking.  Here are some technical notes from the winery. 90 points (7.5/10).

Price: $28
Abv: 14.5%
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes
Website: http://www.digiorgio.com.au

Balgownie Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

I really enjoy Balgownie's cabernet sauvignon wines from Bendigo - generally they over-perform for their price, and are capable of improving with age.  This 1999 was extremely good.  While it had an unpromising aroma of dried tea leaves, it was its palate that shone: notes of leaves, spices and excellent length and depth of flavour.  It has entered its plateau of maturity, so drink anytime over the next few years.  89 points (7.4/10)

Abv: 13.5%
Price: around $40 (current release)
Would I buy it having tasted it?  Yes
Website: http://www.balgownieestate.com.au

Glenwillow Nebbiolo d'Yandoit 2008

This wine gleefully displayed (ok, I made the gleeful bit up) its gold medal from the "Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show" in "class 16" (which turns out to be the nebbiolo category).  Which proves at least two things.  First, I sometimes wonder about wine shows.  Second, gold medals look nice on bottles.  This wine for me was largely a wine devoid of enjoyment.  It had a perhaps complex and promising aroma of sweet cherries, liqueur cherries, rocks and a touch of mint.  But the palate tasted like nothing in particular, with evident bitterness and acidity.  I thought to myself "well, I guess it's not that bad because I can drink it and it goes fine with food", but then I thought why bother.  79 points (6.4/10)

Abv: 13.5%
Price: $25
Would I buy it having tasted it?  No
Website: http://www.glenwillow.com.au